Entwined Spirits, an extremely brief offering by 17-year-old Kiana Porus Munshi, has been stretched out over 30 differently colored pages each carrying just a few lines of text in large type.
The story itself is simple on the surface, about two schoolgirls, Kassandra and Aurora, who meet under a banyan tree and become friends. Their unfortunate separation and the emotional tumult it results in is cause for concern. A compassionate teacher changes the course of Kassandra’s life and we are given a glimpse of the future, of the assured and mature woman she grows up to become. There’s a twist to the tale — but you will have to read the book to discover it!
Kiana Munshi: "adventurous and curious”
Why a parable: Because, though seemingly simplistic, the story has underlying depth and can be interpreted at several levels.
The writer, who is editorial board captain of The Hyderabad Public School, is described on the rear cover as being "passionate, adventurous and curious, drawing inspiration for her stories from her imagination and the tales she hears from her family.”
The 30-page book, printed on art paper, has no typos though two pages (18 and 19) have not been numbered. Published by the children’s creative writing platform BriBooks (www.bribooks.com) Entwined Spirits is available on Amazon. Being a preview copy no price has been mentioned. S. V.