What happens when you mix two stories -  one an eternal mythology and another with a modern backdrop? Chances are that either will get lost in the merger and eventually the entire plot will collapse.  However, there are novels that have been able to weave together two stories parallel to each other and maintain the rhythm successfully.

To say that When Arya Fell Through The Fault meets the milestones laid down by its precedents in the past wouldn't be an exaggeration. The plot brings the mythological epic Ramayana in context with the story of a teenager living in the modern suburbs of California. While trying to make himself acceptable to the bullies in his school amid racial discrimination and utterly rude behaviour, Arya harms himself and his family in more ways than one. Gradually, he loses his reasoning and logic and makes a mistake that costs him and his family rather heavily. Thus begins a journey of self realisation and penance where he sets out to fight the demons, within him and outside.

While the story may seem simple, the plot is complex and interwoven intricately. It's not easy to bring together two stories from entirely differently eras, but the author does a lovely job here. So while you go back a bit to the history lessons,  you are able to put your present in it and analyse the situation thereon. To say that the great mythological epics hold the answers to life itself is what this novel sets out to say as well.

The characters are those you meet in your day-to-day life. You might like them or loathe them but they impact you and your actions. Whether you respond to them favourably or react to them in haste and anger is what eventually determines your personality and character. And the book is able to put across this little message in a simple way. A few descriptions might seem lengthy here and there and it does get a little preachy somewhere midway,  but the flow isn't lost.

The story remains with you, long after you've read it. As a reader, you begin to analyse your actions and reactions to life events and that's what makes the story successful. The words and tone are reader friendly, making it a light read, yet the message is deep and profound. It's a rare combination to find these two qualities in a book. So yes, this is worth reading :)