Book Review: The Night Train at Deoli

Title of the book: The Night Train at Deoli

Author: Ruskin Bond

Illustrator: not  mentioned 

Characters: the narrator, the mysterious woman 

Rating:⅘

This is one of the deep, emotional and touching novels. The story begins with the narrator travelling by train at night to go to his grandmother’s house. During the journey, a stranger( a young woman) comes and sits near him. As the train moves ahead, their conversation slowly begins, and the woman looks serious and a little downcast. She doesn't speak much about herself, but through their silence, they began a connection.

 I chose this book because the title of this book,  “The Night Train at Deoli”, grabbed my attention because the phrase "The Night Train" made me feel that this might be an emotional book. Somehow, I got the sense that it carries a deep and touching story. I felt something was interesting in this book, which drew me to it.  

Ruskin Bond has written this story in very simple language, but the emotions are expressed deeply. His writing style is simple and sweet, even though the stories are quite simple, but the message it tries to give us is “deep and meaningful”.  The narrator reflects his unspoken desires, the feelings of not being able to express them, and the pain of not being able to have the girl he longed for.

The narrator meets the young woman on the train. After some time, she gets off at her destination and disappears, never to be seen again. Although the narrator was unable to express his feelings to the woman, that small moment, that coincidence and the emotional connection stayed in the narrator's heart forever.

The protagonist of this book is the narrator, who explores deep emotion and an unexpected meeting with the power of a human connection. The young woman doesn't reveal much about herself to the narrator, but her behaviour, the hidden pain in her eyes and the soft voice level leave an impression on the narrator. The central theme of this story is unfulfilled love, unspoken emotions for someone, deep memories, and the profound impact of a brief encounter. It also highlights the attraction towards someone despite knowing very little about them.

All the characters are well-developed. The narrator of this story is a young man who describes his train journey while travelling to his grandmother's house. Along the way, there is a young woman, but not much is revealed about her.

The best thing about this story is that it conveys the message that some people may not stay in our lives forever, but the impact they leave behind remains with us forever, and the next thing is that our lives are always simple yet, but every single day is special and unique in its own way. In short, this story conveys the message that the meeting of one unknown person can change our lives. It reminds me to notice the small things in life and to appreciate people around me, even if they are strangers.

I would like to recommend this book to those who love the story with deep meaning, somewhat serious and Unattainable Love.

Reviewed by Manju, Grade 12