‘Phoenix in Flames will find an echo in lives of all women’
BySubhashree Nanda
Dec 19, 2023 09:55 PM IST
"Phoenix in Flames" by Rachna Singh is a book about the fortitude and struggle for survival of eight female protagonists facing personal demons and tragedies. The author hopes that both men and women will be able to relate to and respond to the stories, despite their dark landscape. The title represents the anguish and suffering the women go through, rather than solely focusing on rejuvenation and rebirth.
“Phoenix in Flames is dedicated to all ordinary women, who with their defiant resilience and fortitude become heroic and extraordinary,” says author Rachna Singh, while talking about her latest book.
Author Rachna Singh with her book, Phoenix in Flames (HT Photo)
This book is about the fortitude and struggle for survival of eight female protagonists, she adds.
“These protagonists grapple with their personal demons and tragedies. Some are reborn like the phoenix, while others perish, consumed by their own torment. Although from different echelons of society, these women are united in their grief and their ability to face the adversities of life with a smile,” she explains.
On how the idea of this book came to her, the author says that she has met women similar to her characters throughout her life. “So, when I started tapping out some stories, these were the ones that kept resurfacing in my mind. That’s how I started writing this book,” Rachna says.
Rachna, with emotional fervour and heart-wrenching empathy, weaves stories that seamlessly connect and find an echo in the lives of all women. The stories elicit a myriad of emotions.
Although the book talks about the problems women face in their lifetime, it is not solely targeted at a female reader base. Rachna says even men who are “sensitive and sensitised can relate and respond to it quite well. It will equally resonate with them”.
On what a reader can expect, she says, “I won’t say it will be an enjoyable read because the landscape is very dark. Apart from dealing with personal tragedies and pains, it also dwells upon the social obstacles that women face in their journey of life, including gender bias even in this day and age, underage marriage, domestic and psychological violence, etc.”
Talking about the book title itself, the author says, “I could have just called it the phoenix or phoenix rising, but by naming it Phoenix in Flames, I wanted to focus on two aspects of the book – women emerging out of the anguish, troubles and tragedies of life; and the flames representing the pain and suffering they go through. Because my book is primarily about that very pain and anguish and not so much about the rejuvenation and rebirth.”
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