Debut novel spotlights teenage mental health

The story unfolds as more truths reveal themselves.

New Delhi: Capturing the mental health issues that most people go through while dealing with a personal loss, author Girish Dutt Shukla in his debut novel, ‘Maroon In A Sky of Blue’ delves deep into the tumultuous mind of a teenager, and pens an intriguing tale of love, loss and pain.

‘Maroon In A Sky Of Blue’ is a fiction novel that narrates the story of an introverted teenager, Onir, who has only one friend, Lavine his pillar of strength and support for the last eight years. Onir’s life transforms when Palchinn reciprocates the love he has for her. The change doesn’t last long, and he soon loses her in a car accident. Consumed by grief, Onir wraps his mind with hopelessness and distress. Despite the constant support from his friend Lavin, his mental wellness eventually gives in.

Onir meets Ziya who has suffered a similar loss in the past. As they get closer, he begins to heal. The story unfolds as more truths reveal themselves. Through the book, a reader will discover the life of Onir and what goes inside that reclusive mind of his e the incident that made it harder for him to be friends with others, the diaries he keeps to recollect the past, the authentic bond that Onir and Lavin share, how Palchinn’s demise pushed Onir in that pit of despair, and how Ziya helps him become whole again, if she does, at all.

“With more and more celebrities coming out in the open and breaking the stigma, it is critical to talk about mental health and the several disorders that come with it. ‘Maroon In A Sky Of Blue’ emphasizes the underlying mental disorder Onir is suffering from, even though on the outside, it is hardly evident. He is aloof, distant, even depressed but the mess his mind has created isn’t conceivable. This is a reflection of a majority of people suffering from mental health problems that never get diagnosed and treated,” says the author Girish Dutt Shukla, an engineer-turned-marketer.

Spotlighting teenage mental health and well-being, the book captures how trauma can impact adolescents, while building empathy within readers. The book, priced at Rs 495 is available on Amazon and Kindle.