A big thanks to Bloomsbury India for sending me a copy of this book for an honest review!
Back In Time is the second book in the Tamanna trilogy by Andaleeb Wajid that picks up after the panic-inducing cliffhanger in the first one. What was supposed to be a quick drop in to say hi, unfortunately turns out to be a week long vacation when Tamanna is unable to go back (from 1983) to her present (2012). She is stuck in the past without a choice, hoping desperately that the stolen camera will be found. Meanwhile Ajji’s sister-in-law, the infamous Dragon-amma takes the house by storm; treating the girls and Ajji with utmost contempt and scheming to sell the house. Tamanna must do what it takes to ensure that that never happens. Add a few more introductions and she gets to know a whole bunch of new people from the future. It’s almost difficult to picture them as teenagers when she’s all but known them for the drastically changed adults they’ve become. This time around she discovers something new about time travelling; a double life-like angle that changes her thoughts on time travel.
This book was so much better than the first. I’m not saying that Tamanna and Manoj’s relationship improved a lot – because it didn’t. I still find it difficult to absorb that a 17 year old girl would put aside her family and her ambitions to travel back to her “prince” (or so she calls him). They are still stuck somewhere between arguing absurdly and loving recklessly. This book continues precisely from where the first one left off. Which is something I like in books as opposed to flashbacks. The author managed to create a lot more suspense and it definitely struck my curiosity more than once. I was eager to finish this one. As I’ve said before, her use of language is very warm, simple and relatable. At times Tamanna seemed very immature but she handled quite a few situations remarkably. I did cheer her on, ofcourse! The character of Rukmini a.k.a Dragon-amma (the name is really silly!) reminded me of the grumpy grandmas in many Indian serials who are out to sabotage the in-laws’ lives. So that was fun to read about, a laugh over. I also was surprised that Tamanna adjusted to the technology-less life in the past so well. I’m sure it would have been a difficult feat for a majority of teenagers nowadays. Lastly, I wish the author had drawn a spotlight on Reena and Vidya’s characters. I’d liked to have read more about how they changed so much in the future. A much better read. I’d recommend it to all scifi fans. Kudos to Andaleeb Wajid for crafting such a quirky read!
Ratings – 3 stars on 5.
Meera
The Life Stories 