Coming Home #BookReview

Published on by balroop singh

When I picked up ‘Coming Home,’ I didn’t realize I would be transported to India, as for me, this book brought a myriad memories. Though Smitha takes us through the streets of Bangalore, Kerala and Mumbai but I felt I was back in New Delhi and was once again, visiting all those iconic cities – Bangalore, the “IT capital of India,” Kerala – the “God’s own country,” famous for its backwaters and Mumbai – “the city of dreams,” the hub of Indian Cinema.

I have to share this book with you, as it is much more than just the story of Shanaya.

Look Inside

Book Blurb:

Twenty-six-year-old, Shanaya, finds her idea of home and family ripped apart when she loses her mother. Her effort to drown herself in her job proves to be financially rewarding and her work is recognized by the organisation. But, even this is not enough to fill the vacuum in her heart or answer the questions, her mother’s sudden death had given rise to. In her quest for peace and the need to hold her family together, she leaves her job in the Middle East and moves to India. The story finds Shanaya journeying across geographical planes and inner landscapes to finally reach ‘home’. Coming Home is a heartwarming story about self-discovery, relationships, loss, love, destiny, the choices we make, and how these choices eventually lead to what we are destined for.

My Review:

Coming Home by Smitha Vishwanath holds a plethora of cultural nuances that give you an insight into Indian values, relationships and responsibilities. Written in a simple style, the story transports you to the cities and villages of southern India – revealing the scents of a village, of jasmine flowers, of incense in a temple – making them come alive with vivid and descriptive details. Shanaya’s life changes after she returns home to attend the funeral of her mother. Her bold, independent decisions acquaint her with many finer aspects of life.

The book moves at a moderate pace and keeps you invested with new developments, which are knitted effortlessly into the story. The south Indian cuisine, the flavors and their details leave a delectable taste in your mouth. Smitha’s realism also shines through her characters – Shanaya wants to respect the decision of her family but knows what she is looking for in a marriage. Slowly, she rediscovers herself but keeps you guessing till the end. Jai has been crafted with extreme precision, he is so different from other men in the story.

Coming Home is a brilliant book, as it offers much more than just a mundane story of a woman who is trying to come to terms with the travails of life. Highly recommended! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Meet the Author:

Smitha Vishwanath is your quintessential ‘bored banker’ turned writer. After a rewarding career in Banking in the Middle East where she worked for leading banks in senior positions, she quit and moved to India in July 2018 with her husband who had been transferred to the country on an International assignment. Therein began her writing journey.

Smitha’s poem, ‘Omid’, was nominated ‘Best of the Net’ in 2019. Her poems, ‘Do you Have Dreams’ and ‘Forgotten’, written for the National Poetry Writing Month challenge hosted by Maureen Thompson, won recognition on an international level for two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022. She was nominated as Author of the Month by SpillWords Press for her poem ‘Ye Birds on my Window Sill’ in May 2022. She was recently voted Author of the Month for the months of January and February 2023 for her poem, ‘Two years since you left’ by Spillwords Press. Her poetry has been published by several online publications, including Thieving Magpies, Spillwords Press, Masticadores US, Silverbirch Press, Rebelle Society and has found a place in several noteworthy anthologies.

‘Roads- A journey with Verses’ is a book of poems she co-authored and published in July 2019.

‘Coming Home’ is her debut novel released in March 2023.

When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading, writing book reviews, sharing her experiences through her blog, painting, walking travelling, or just being. She currently resides with her husband in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her poems and writing reflect the experiences that come with having lived with people of different cultures.

Connect with her:

Her blog Twitter Goodreads Amazon

Thank you!

Balroop Singh

If you like poetry: click here to hear Magical Whispers

Or hang out with  Hues Of Hope 

74 thoughts on “Coming Home #BookReview”

    2. Hi Vera, Thank you for your interest in the book. You’re right. It is about family, relationships, and the impact of loss on different members.
      I agree with you on the review. It’s beautiful, and I’m thrilled about it.

  2. I agree with your wonderful thoughts on Smitha’s book, Balroop. I loved it too, and you’re right, it’s more than just the story of Shanaya. Congrats to her on Coming Home’s continued success! ❤️

    1. Thank you Lauren. I am glad you enjoyed this book, it is different from usual romance novels though love plays an important role in molding Shanaya. 😊

      2. Balroop ji, I love that you specifically mentioned that it’s different from other romance novels, and yet love plays a role. Thank you for reading it closely and stating the essence of the novel.🩷

    2. Thanks so much, Lauren, for your vote on Coming Home. Your comment is as satisfying as your review of the book. Thank you for your good wishes and best wishes to you for your book❤️

    2. Thank you, Jacqui, for your kind appreciation of my journey from banking to writing. I hadn’t planned it. I’m grateful writing came along when I had to quit and move countries. But I have a long way to go in the literary field. 🙂

  5. This sounds like a fabulous book, Balroop and one I would surely enjoy. I read her ‘Roads’ poetry book and loved it. Gave it 5 star reviews. Your review here is wonderfully written and brings curiosity to the story. I will add this to my TBR.

    1. Thank you, Lisa, for the review of Roads. I had no idea that you were a blogger, too. Pleased to meet you🙂. I’m happy to know you plan to read Coming Home. I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed Roads, or more.

      2. That’s wonderful to know. Happy Reading. I’ll look forward to your review of the book. Happy Reading. Thank you again for your good wishes on the novel🙂. Have a great day!

    2. Thanks Lisa, you will not be disappointed with Coming Home! I am glad you have read and reviewed Roads. Happy reading dear friend. BTW, have you seen your video of my poem that you had recited long ago? It’s on youtube.

  6. A wonderful review for a beautiful book, Balroop. I have Smitha’s book on my Kindle. Her book cover just won a second place for a Cover Contest!

    1. Miriam, I can’t wait for you to read my book and to know what you think about it. Thank you for sharing the news on the book cover🩷. Hugs.

      1. It’s amazing the amount of excitement and effort you put in the contest. I’m a member and I know how it works. Congrats on winning, Smitha.💖😍

      2. Miriam, Thank you so much🩷🤗. I didn’t think we would as we were trailing behind; my classmates did not wake up until the last round, the last day. If not for these girls whom I have not seen in the last 30 years, we wouldn’t have won. They made it a class thing and went all out to gather votes🙂. Thanks to whatsapp, it became easier.

      3. How wonderful, Smitha! Now you’ve done it, nothing else is impossible! In most of the competition, it’s a team effort, even when the runner is out there running by him or herself.

        I had my book The Winding Road on promotion the last two days. Because my blogging friends helped to get the words out, and it happened that Annika posted her review on her blog plus including a message about my promotion, I got 89 downloads in two days and put my book on Amazon #1 Best Seller for two days. I couldn’t have done it if I did it on my own quietly.

        Congratulations again and yay for the friendships and support. 💖🥰

      4. I agree, Miriam. Team support plays an important role, but it’s hard to come by, and it’s wonderful when it does.
        Congratulations on the downloads. Your book is inspiring in more than one way. It should reach as many readers as possible. I’ll connect with you through Fb messenger to understand how the promotion works, if it’s fine with you.
        Thank you again, Miriam, for your good wishes, and yes, yay to relationships that cross barriers and rise to the occasion ❤️🤗

      5. I’m happy you have different circles of friends and support you can count on, Smitha. You can email me. Do you know how to find me email address from your blog comment? If not, make a comment on my blog post and I’ll email you about the promotion.

      1. I know, Balroop! Either way is good. I decided on the titles first on my three books, then designed the covers. I did a cover reveal in my writing group and they gave me input. And I revealed the title on my blog and I got input for the tagline. As long as you haven’t published it on Amazon, kdp let you change it. 😊

  8. Hi Vera, You’re right. Coming Home is a lot about relationships, family, and how death changes family dynamics. Thank you for your interest in it.
    I agree with you about the review. It looks at the essence of the story.

  9. Thank you, Jacqui, for your kind appreciation of my journey from banking to writing. I hadn’t planned for it. I’m grateful writing came along when I had to quit and move countries.

  10. Thank you, Balroop ji, for your appreciation of the novel. It’s humbling as it is encouraging. I’m so pleased to know you enjoyed reading it, especially since you are aware of the Indian culture and India. The city doesn’t matter. We have so many common quirks through the length and breath of the country🙂. Thank you again for recommending this book. 🙏. It means very much. I was hoping you’d read the book.

  11. Wonderful review, Balroop. I imagine this book is one that transports the reader and immerses them in the rich sensory details of India. The way your describe Shanaya’s “coming home” is beautiful. Congrats to Smitha on the excellent review. ❤

    1. You are right Diana, enjoy a trip to the big cities of India, get acquainted with some cultural nuances and taste the cuisine through words of Smitha… that’s how this book is so different! Thanks for stopping by to read my review and cheer Smitha, much appreciated.

    2. Thank you very much, Diana, for your good wishes. I’m thrilled with the review and I’m very happy to know you found this peek into Coming Home, beautiful. Thank you❤️🙂.

      2. Balroop ji, these are words that every writer wants to hear. Thank you🙏. I’m so glad to know you felt this about Coming Home.

    2. Thank you very much, Diana, for your good wishes. I’m thrilled with the review and I’m very happy to know you found this peek into Coming Home, beautiful. Thank you❤️🙂.

  15. Balroop, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful review of ‘Coming Home’. It sounds like a fascinating book and I like how it captures so much of India and its towns as well as following a woman’s personal journey. This year more than ever I have been picking up books set abroad – probably looking to broaden my horizons literary-wise – and this sounds perfect. One I’m noting down.

    1. I am delighted to hear that you are making a note of Smitha’s book to broaden your horizons. I like how you’ve worded your response, Annika. I have read a lot of historical fiction that has enriched my knowledge about various places. No wonder they say – “books are a window to the world.” Thank you for sharing your lovely thoughts.

    2. Hi Annika,I’m happy to know you plan on reading Coming Home. I hope you do enjoy it as much as Balroop ji and I do hope it gives you the insight into Indian culture that you’re looking for. I look forward to knowing what you think of the book once you’ve read it.
      P.S I love reading books from different cultures. There’s so much you learn without really having to travel to those places.

  17. Pingback: EúnoiaComing Home #BookReview

      1. You’re so very welcome Smitha. It is here and I look forward to it when I’m able as well. Juggling lots and healing from Covid at the moment which you may not know. 🥰

Comments are closed.