“As a society, we aren’t comfortable digging deep into ourselves. We are so conditioned that suppressing our emotions comes naturally to us. Whenever someone asks us how we are doing, we say we’re fine, almost reflexively. ” One Line Review- A powerful look into the effects of mental health on life and relationships.   Salini Vineeth's latest book, Lost Edges, follows two millennials in their journey for love and purpose amidst misplaced ambitions, mental health issues, and gender inequalities. On the whole, Lost Edges is a love story, and it is not. The book looks at different stages of love and relationships, both romantic and familial. Here, the author goes one step further and gives us an in-depth look at how our upbringing influences our personalities and who we grow up to be. How the wounds we bore in our childhood become an integral part of us as we grow. How abuse and trauma, in any manner or form, shapes us, and affects our personal and professional lives.  With an intensely engaging premise, Lost Edges is a character driven narrative. Geethanjali and Ravi are its soul. While Geethu is a textbook extrovert-pragmatic, ambitious, driven and a hard-core rationalist, Ravi is highly sensitive and emotional. An introvert and an empath, who is lost in the quagmire of his past and, for the most part, disconnected from his present and his future.  By way of this role-reversal of sorts, the author encourages us to question their biases about societal norms. In Ravi, we see a man who is deeply in touch with his emotions. In Geethu, we have a woman who is used to taking charge. And the author asks the reader—is this relationship really so different from any other?  Mental health forms the crux of this story. Both Ravi and Geethu are struggling with their personal demons, their own ingrained insecurities and fears. And as they come together, we witness how the obvious fault lines appear between them and their opposing personalities. Through Ravi, the author gives us a glimpse of what Clinical Depression looks like. We witness the panic attacks, the nightmares, the uncertainty and utter hopelessness that accompanies depression. Simultaneously, through Geethu, we witness the challenges of a caregiver, what it means and how it affects the psyche of a person who cares for a depressed person.  “Being a caregiver is emotionally and physically draining,” the therapist tells Geethu. And every time I felt like taking Ravi by the shoulders and telling him to ‘get it together!’, I was reminded of how it must be affecting Geethu.  Having said this, considering the realistic portrayal of the characters and their challenges, it is also the thing that might go against the book. Sometimes, one or both characters might seem obtuse and unlikable. In Ravi’s case, his suffering seems endless, and Geethu feels too emotionally unavailable, and the reader may ask why they are together at all.  However, this is exactly what makes these characters real, and their relationship even more believable. These two are highly flawed individuals with completely contrasting belief systems and ideologies. And their journey towards each other through the lens of their personal experiences and insecurities is what Lost Edges is all about.    In the modern world, for the most part, we go through life on auto-pilot. We seldom stop and look back at where we have been, who do we have with us, where are we headed? Are we happy? Are our relationships strong and healthy? Why are we the way we are? Why do we do the things we do? Or behave the way we do? What is stopping us from achieving our true potential?  Lost Edges compels us to stop and ask these questions, to contemplate life and the deeper meaning of love and relationships.  “Don’t try to be brave and hold it together all the time. Seek help if you need it.” I strongly recommend this book to everyone. It is by no means an easy book to read, however, it is a necessary one. Through Geethu and Ravi, Salini Vineeth has presented a fantastic argument in favour of mental health and in favour of therapy. If you wish to know more about depression, what it entails, how childhood abuse and trauma can leave a lasting impact and how timely intervention and therapy can help you heal, Lost Edges is a must read.  ~*~ Get your copy here: