No time for goodbyes by Andaleeb Wajid

"No time for goodbyes" by Andaleeb Wajid. This book is published by Bloomsbury India in 2014 and has 205 pages.

It's 2012. Tamanna, a sixteen year old, is bored out of her bones. She goes to the attic and finds an old sepia Polaroid photograph of her young mother, her two sisters and an unknown youth. While she is looking at it, she is sucked into it and time travels to 1982, 30 years back to her grandmother's house when the photo was taken.

Here her mother and aunts are of her age. She is mistaken for the pen pal of Manoj, the youth in photo. It's a different world for her. It's the same city, Bangalore, but looks very different and beautiful. Her mother and aunts seem to have a crush on Manoj. Tamanna tells Manoj how she came in 1982. It becomes clear that the time machine is the camera of Manoj's grandfather had assembled. But no one knows what triggered time travel. Grandfather does not know how to send her back. Inevitably Tamanna and Manoj are first attracted and then fall in love. Both know that this is not correct, it won't workout, but can't help it.

Can Tamanna go back to the present? Can she stay away from Manoj? Is her mother helps of her? Why Manoj is not there in 2012? Will she travel back to 1980s? Will they unite?

Andaleeb had used two tried and tested formulae. One of time travel and another of love, but she has used them to put together a very good story. Time travel is not new for fiction readers but reading it in Indian context was a novelty.

Andaleeb has shown the emotions of teen aged girl very well. First love, infatuation, emotional upheaval and change of time period to top it up and you have a heady mix. Old time Bangalore is described in detail on the backdrop of today's Bangalore. Bangloreits would like it. The reactions and wonderment of today's teen to the good old days 30 years ago is depicted very well. Although it's about time travel it's essentially a love story.

The language used in 1982 sounds more like year 2000, much modern for the times. This appears to be the only drawback.

The end of story could have been anything and it would have still made some readers unhappy. Author has chosen to end the story very beautifully. Rather than giving answer, she has left it for the readers to decide and ended on a beautiful turn. Full marks for the end.

After completing this book I came to know that this is first book of the trilogy. Second book is already published. Looking forward to read it.

A very good book. Must read.