ONCE UPON A TIME

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English

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Once Upon a time by A. Sethumadhavan, is a novel which surrounds priyamvada, who is an HR professional, and a single parent at the centre of its narrative. The strong undercurrent of this award-winning title is the way woman asserts her independence and deft strokes in the book suggest how a professional woman scores. The novel very beautifully depicts the personal journey of a single parent, where are dilemmas which priyamvada faces, doing a tightrope walk between the labor force and the managements, trying to fill the vacuum in her daughter’s life and consciously attempting to steady her own emotional moorings.

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ISBN
9788126043644
Pages
256
Avg Reading Time
9 hrs
Age
18+ yrs
Country of Origin
India

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About the Book

Once Upon a time by A. Sethumadhavan, is a novel which surrounds priyamvada, who is an HR professional, and a single parent at the centre of its narrative. The strong undercurrent of this award-winning title is the way woman asserts her independence and deft strokes in the book suggest how a professional woman scores. The novel very beautifully depicts the personal journey of a single parent, where are dilemmas which priyamvada faces, doing a tightrope walk between the labor force and the managements, trying to fill the vacuum in her daughter’s life and consciously attempting to steady her own emotional moorings.

Book Details

  • ISBN
    9788126043644
  • Pages
    256
  • Avg Reading Time
    9 hrs
  • Age
    18+ yrs
  • Country of Origin
    India

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3.71 out of 5

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Once Upon a Time by A. Sethumadhavan centres on Priyamvada, an HR professional navigating the competing demands of corporate ambition and solo parenting. This award-winning novel does not dramatise her struggles with melodrama; instead, it tracks the small, deliberate choices through which a woman carves out independence on her own terms. The narrative's strength lies in its attention to the interior life of a professional woman — the calculations behind every meeting missed for a school event, every promotion weighed against a child's need for presence. Sethumadhavan writes with restraint, allowing Priyamvada's dilemmas to accumulate in quiet, recognisable increments. The result is a portrait of modern Indian womanhood that refuses easy resolutions, acknowledging both the cost and the reward of self-determination. Published by Sahitya Akademi, the novel speaks to readers who understand that independence is not a single act but a series of daily reckonings.

What kind of reading experience does Once Upon a Time offer?

This novel offers a reflective, quietly observant reading experience. It does not rush toward dramatic confrontations but instead accumulates emotional weight through the small, repeated tensions of daily life — a missed school play, a late-night work call, a moment of doubt in the mirror. The pace is deliberate, rewarding readers who value psychological realism over plot-driven urgency. You finish the book not exhilarated but deeply aware of the invisible labor that sustains a woman's autonomy.

Who is this book best suited for and what does it expect of its reader?

This book is best suited for readers interested in the interior lives of working women, particularly those familiar with the compromises of balancing career and caregiving. It expects patience and empathy — an appetite for nuanced character study rather than high-stakes drama. Professionals who have navigated workplace hierarchies while managing personal responsibilities will find the narrative deeply recognisable. It also rewards readers curious about how contemporary Indian fiction depicts gender and labor.

What is the cultural significance of single parenthood in contemporary Indian fiction?

Single parenthood remains a subject Indian fiction handles with caution, as it intersects with longstanding expectations around family structure and female respectability. This novel's significance lies in its refusal to present Priyamvada as either a martyr or a rebel. By centering a woman who is neither apologetic nor defiant — simply living a life she has chosen — Sethumadhavan normalises a reality that Indian society is slowly, unevenly acknowledging. The book contributes to a conversation about female autonomy that is still unfolding in Indian middle-class culture.

What makes A. Sethumadhavan's treatment of this subject distinctive?

Sethumadhavan writes with restraint rare in novels about working mothers. Rather than amplifying Priyamvada's struggles for emotional effect, he lets them speak through accumulation — missed calls, postponed decisions, the weight of small compromises. His deft strokes suggest how a professional woman scores without declaring victory or defeat. The novel avoids the trap of celebration or condemnation, instead offering a measured, almost documentary attention to the texture of a life lived at the intersection of ambition and care.

What does this book leave the reader with after finishing it?

  • A renewed awareness of the invisible calculations that underpin a working woman's day — the costs that never make it into résumés or performance reviews.
  • A sense of quiet solidarity with women who navigate professional ambition without the support structures that patriarchal families take for granted.
  • An understanding that independence is not a static achievement but a series of ongoing negotiations with oneself and the world.
  • A lingering respect for the restraint required to live authentically in a society that rewards conformity.

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