Priyanka Baranwal’s debut work  It’s Never Too Late is about a woman , Maya , who shows the courage to stand against all evils on a fretful night . The first half of the book ( about 100 pages ) is dedicated to the days when both and Maya and Rajat were students of the IIT-Kanpur and though they were good friends but they were unaware of the fire which they both shared for each other . Their hearts spoke to them only when Maya , after finishing her engineering course , shifted to Bengaluru for her job leaving Rajat alone in the campus to yearn for her companionship. Maya too pines for her love Rajat , and on her birthday Rajat gives her the best surprise on visiting her . The rest of the pieces then falls perfectly and they got married .

The story starts on their tenth marriage anniversary as the reader finds them busy with the guests , In this ten years , they have made their own world along with their  five-year-old daughter , Sejal. The story sways continuously between past and present as Maya ruminates on her life . She has a perfect world around her until one days she fells ill , some sort of complication arises regarding her illness and they are to postpone a marriage invitation which they have eagerly awaited to attend. Rajat’s cousin Kavya Di is going to get married and they all are happened to be excited about that. But now the plan has gone awry because of  Maya’s frail constitution . Still Maya persuades Rajat to attend the ceremony alone who finally decides to drive to Mysore to her cousin’s house leaving his family alone for day …and  NIGHT .

It happens to be a NIGHT of terror in Maya’s life when two men break into her house with the most heinous intention..to rupture her physical integrity. Co-incidentally she finds her mobile phone useless with no balance left and that means she has to face the perpetrators alone with her little daughter. Will she be able to fight them back ? Will the society let her live with the same respect and peace after this eventful night ?  And what about Rajat ? How would he behave as the representative of a male-chauvinist society ?

Life goes on and so the story. The account of that night teaches us the fact that women are not weak, they may be physically , but with strong determination and will , they can go against all odds . To save her child , a vulnerable mother can become as strong as a lioness.

The books definitely has a message. As the tagline says “ To win the battle against your biggest enemy , Fear ” . A society where they say ” Don’t get raped ” instead of ” Don’t rape ” , this book  has raised voice for all those ill-fated women for whom life has become a stand-still without any meaning. The author definitely claims a big applause for bringing on this issue .

Considering from the viewpoint of literal appreciation the book has nothing much in store. There was ample scope for the author to make this book conspicuous in the crowd. But she missed the opportunity . The narrative style is too simple to be gripping for the first part of the book, and is quite dragging. ( The IIT romance has become a clichéd one ) . Moreover , there are too many loopholes ….in a country like India , it takes years for anyone to get justice , here in the shortest span of time the case gets resolved and the verdict is given. Rajat seems to be a super husband ! he is impeccable in his manners and emotions and there is no flaw in his character ! Apart from that particular night Maya’s life looks like a modern fairy tale ..too good to believe.

Still , I would like to recommend it to all readers as to get an inspirational motivation , to fight back when it’s most needed , to become triumphant over fear.

From my side It’s 3/5 . 

About The Author
Priyanka Baranwal is a freelance writer, poet and blogger. She is a science graduate and certified in Diploma in Pre & Primary Teacher’s Training with Specialization in Teaching English from American TESOL Institute, and Textile Designing. She has been a well appreciated teacher and has also worked with a NGO in Bangalore as Corporate Relationship Officer. She loves music, literature, writing, and travelling.Originally from Mirzapur (U.P.) and settled in Bangalore, Priyanka lives with her husband, Sumit Baranwal and son, Ashmit. It’s Never Too Late is her debut novel. 

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Reviewed for and shared with Writersmelon