Review: Slipping into another dimension: The Perception of Auras
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2013
After a car accident, Pari miraculously survives but her father dies. Comatosed for six months, Pari wakes and begins seeing colors around people. Initially she reacts as if these sightings are illusions, but gradually she realizes that her perceptions, the colors, are real. On her spiritual journey to self-discovery, Pari learns more about why she can see the colors and images inside them. But she is not the only person who can sense otherworldly dimensions. She feels a connection with Arche, her father's business associate. Despite the fact that she is drawn to him, there is a darkness inside him that repels her. In order to understand their connection, she must first understand herself and her new found abilities.What initially appears to be a flight into the world of surrealism, Gupta wisely maintains the sense of Now (the story is set in contemporary Toronto, Canada) and instead of opting Pari's ability to see colors as a reason to make her simply `strange', instead she uses this device for philosophical explorations of what makes each person unique, what motivates each of us, and other investigations of appearance versus being and behavior.A sample of her writing follows: `I don't view my world as black and white with touches of grey. I prefer the full rainbow of colors. I love the reds, hold flirtations with the pinks, am at peace with the blues and greens, fascinated with yellow and orange, hate purple, am ambiguous about grey, and yes, I do favor the blacks and whites. Are you still on my train of thought, or have you jumped off yet? No, I'm not drunk. This train is going to its intended destination.' Gupta's book could benefit form a solid editor, but that is an easy error to correct. The main concern is whether or not the story is worthy: it is! Grady Harp, July 13