Book Review 79: Shadow of the Past by Mayank Manohar.

Mayank Manohar's debut novel, Shadow of the Past is a short and simple light read. It is a story about three young people whose lives are affected by their own past and insecurities.

The plot is quite simple yet emotional. The story juggles between past and present. Rehan and Lavanya had been in love with each other in the past but they eventually broke up. Arpita, a close friend of Rehan, falls for him and suddenly finds herself trapped between the incomplete love saga of Rehan and Lavanya. And this creates a love triangle between the three.
 Will their lives be crippled by the shadow of their own past or will life give them a ray of hope and another chance to redeem what is lost? Read the book to know what happens to Rehan, Lavanya and Arpita.

The title of the book is very apt. The story progresses at a fast pace and is a complete page-turner. Although the plot seems to be filmy, it is engrossing. All the characters are well developed. The writing style is really good and the use of simple and lucid language makes the book an easy read. While reading, I could feel the emotions that the characters went through. Certain parts of the book are heartbreaking and it made me emotional. Packed with a lot of suspense and emotion, this book is definitely worth giving a read. 

Altogether, Shadow of the Past by Mayank Manohar was a nice and short light read. It took me a few hours to complete reading the book. Fans of romance novels will love this book.


About the author: Mayank Manohar is an engineer-turned-journalist and has worked with The Times of India as a Senior Correspondent for four years. He has also worked with an NGO Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) as a Communication Officer & Documentary Film-maker. He is presently working with SEED CSR as a Communication Manager. He was born in Bangalore and brought up in Patna. After finishing his 10th grade, he stepped outside Bihar to experience what it was like to live on his own. He finished his high school from Narayana Junior College, Hyderabad, then pursued engineering from SRM University, Chennai, where he realised what he was meant for and began his writing journey, to become an author. He moved to Delhi in 2014 and pursued a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Times School of Journalism. He is a movie buff, loves to cook, and lives to travel. In his leisure time, he enjoys listening to music and reading novels. Shadow of the Past is his debut novel, which describes the relationship between two people and their baggage from the past.

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars.

Publisher: Fingerprint Publishing.

First Published: August 2019

Pages: 168

Price: ₹199/-

Buy this book from Amazon.

Thanks to the publisher, Fingerprint Publishing, for the review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.