"What matters in the history of time is not the story that dazzles today, but the one that sparkles with so much honesty it survives. Even if it's told by only one small voice."

What made this book for me is the vibrant narrative voice and that sense of emotional authenticity that we can see in the quotation above. I really connected with this style of writing from the warmth of the family in the opening scenes to the trauma that the narrator experiences which changes his view of the world without ever making him cynical.

There's something almost Dickensian in the way this navigates between the big politics of India and the smaller, though no less important, individual impact. And, like Dickens, this teeters on that line between emotion and sentimentality: in the end, it just stops short of the saccharine for me. It's perhaps a little neatly shaped but I'm going with my heart rather than my head with rating this one.

Set over a twenty five year time frame, this is the coming of age story of Shabby. It is also a brilliant telling of the rise of nationalism in India from the 90’s to more recent times. The book references the wider historical context of India and its Colonial past.

Early in the book Shabby experiences significant trauma when he witnesses a mob murder; the trauma is compounded when he understands that adults know about it but ignore/deny it. What he witnessed informs the whole book but we are aware from early on that there is more trauma in store for Shabby.

I waited to read this book on holiday as I knew much of it was set in Mumbai so I wanted to read it in the heat. I’m so pleased I did as I somehow felt even more immersed in Shabby’s story.

The themes of this book are BIG covering ritual, societal norms, how young people experience the world, discrimination, trauma, sexuality but the humanness of the characters is what shone through the most. Santanu Bhattacharya writes female characters so well, I loved Shabby’s Nani and her openness to her grandson later in the story, thank you for bringing some powerful women to life! I have been thinking of them long after finishing the book.

Finally the book renewed my belief in the power and absolute necessity of the arts, both in the writing of the book and within the story of Shabby and his art.

A five star recommendation that will stay with you.

Thanks to @Netgalley for the advance read

I loved this book. It is a beautifully written and compelling story about trauma and how it takes over a life. It’s about the tragedy of a life lost due to a single childhood event and it’s repercussions. But this book is written with a light touch, with warmth and with care. It is not a depressing story. I am sure we will be hearing a lot more about this book and author once the book is published.

One Small Voice” is nothing like I’ve ever read before and it taught me so much about the North/South divide in India and some of the opposing religious and political forces at play.

Read it if: you enjoy fictionalised coming-of-age stories against a backdrop of significant global events.

Don’t read it if: you actively avoid childhood trauma triggers.

The book tells the story about a boy, Shubhankar, who is growing up in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. The narrative switches between him as an adult, working in Mumbai away from what he considers his more “provincial” home, and his childhood journeys through education, adolescence and some of his most pivotal life moments. It’s all based around a traumatic incident he experienced as a child that has gone on to shape so much of his adult life.

I usually don’t go for coming-of-age stories that are based too much outside my own experience.. But I am so pleased I went ahead and read it because, not only did I learn a lot about the cultural differences between different generations in that part of India, but the story itself is really moving. 

With thanks for Netgalley and Fig Tree for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

beautiful, heartbreaking and hopeful ✨
this story contains many themes and issues and forms a beautiful whole. as a reader we get to know shabby at such a deep level so it’s easy to become invested in his life & future. really loved the ending as well.

Bhattacharya's "One Small Voice" is an engaging and hard hitting coming of age story set in modern day India, that examines the themes of identity, class hierarchy, wealth, religion and politics in both a compelling and delicate manner.

Following Shabby as he navigates his way through life after experiencing a severe trauma as a child, this book tells the story of a young man who moves to Mumbai to forge his own path.

Shabby could not get over what he had seen, nor the fact his family seemingly turned a blind eye. It gave great insight into the Hindu/Muslim rioting and covered the topic sensitively.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the array of characters who interweaved in Shabby’s story.

This book is released February 2023 and I received an ARC from #netgalley. Many thanks.

𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚂𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚅𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚞 𝙱𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚢𝚊 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝟸𝟹 𝙵𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹

This is such a compelling and hard hitting coming of age story set in modern India. At 10 years old Shabby is caught up in an incident of mob violence, witnessing a violent murder. We watch on as he has to navigate life, dealing with the trauma of an incident his family don't acknowledge.

Initially, i was a little confused about the timeline as the story plays out. Shabby's story weaves in and out of his past to the present, in a country of extremes, a hierarchical society greatly influenced by so much diversity in religion, language, politics, wealth affected by a north south divide, a religious divide, and strong family expectations. Bhattacharya develops an intense story, depicting the rich and complex tapestry of India so well through Shabby and his relationships - with friends, family, memory and identity. By mid-story i was so invested in Shabby's future i couldn't stop reading, anxious for his wellbeing and future. And each time i thought the story was going to be a predictable drama, Bhattacharya takes a sharp turn and opens my eyes, my mind and heart!! I absolutely loved the ending. This is a 4.5⭐️ read and one to look out for next year! It's a book i initially thought was not for me but it took me on a journey that left me feeling hopeful. And yes, i shed a tear!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I have turned the last page, tears settled on my eyelashes and I take a deep breath trying to ground myself while in my minds eye flames flicker and grow. I feel I know Shabby as well as I know my own son and while Santanu Bhattacharya brought the novel to a stop like a conductor lowers the baton on a perfect symphony, there is a huge longing to follow his life for the next year, or two, or forever.
This book deals with so many modern ills and social issues at once that it should be a mess; difficult to understand or superficial as if no one strand of the story is important enough to take centre stage but perhaps the novel is its own metaphor for modern India. Bright, brash, tender, scented with promise. So much technological growth and yet so much unchanged from Colonial rule. Every strand is important because every strand is connected to every other. At its heart a coming of age story about a boy’s journey to manhood finding his own place in a world that has changed so much since his parents generation’s own youth but it is also a story of nationalism and the interference of the state in acts of worship, race, ritual observance, oppression and the possibility of change. Turn the page and it is a story of family and the weight of parental expectations, then a treatise on unrecognised buried mental health issues. It is a story of class and caste and an exploration of how best to help those you seek to help, by being with them in the trenches or getting as wealthy as possible in order to have a voice that is listened to so that you can advocate on their behalf.
I could wax lyrical all night about how huge, how wonderful and how beautifully written and woven this novel is but you’re going to have to take my word for it until you can read it for yourself!