Dreams in Prussian Blue by Paritosh Uttam

Penguin India has very recently published a new series called, “Metro Reads” – which promises to be quick reads while on the go, or could be interpreted as being set in Metros (which 2 out of 3 are) and representing the hectic lives we lead, which ultimately go nowhere.

Let me admit right at the onset: I was sceptical about reading this one. I have always had my reservations about reading a new Indian writers’ work, primarily because these days there are dime a dozen and one honestly wishes that one can read them all, unfortunately time is at a premium, and that is when books like this one come as a breath of fresh air.

I did not love “Dreams in Prussian Blue”, but I liked it a lot. The plot is simple: Naina, a first-year fine art student is smitten by Michael Angelo (thought the play of words to be quite funny) – who is her senior. He is drawn very similarly to Howard Roark, or at least that’s the impression I got while reading the book. He lives to paint and paints to live.

The couple move in together, and Naina has to quit college and work to support the house while Michael paints, besides providing for his artistic supplies. Ruchi and Abhi are their college friends, who represent the mundanity of everyday living. Naina is helpless and tired of being the provider – she wants Michael to take up some kind of job to be able to share the expenses, and then an accident occurs which leads to Michael’s blindness, and this is where the story begins.

Part mystery, part love affair, Dreams in Prussian Blue is like I said different. The tag line reads, “When Love Kills”, and you will never know why till the end of the book. By the end of it, I wish there was more to it. I wish I would know more about Naina and Michael. Paritosh certainly knows how to get you to keep the pages turning, and one of the highpoints of the book, as mentioned before, is that it is short and does not tax the brains.