Articles | Shivani Sibal

Reviews

Chronological collection of the reviews on my Novel Equations by various Publishing houses and News Channel.

June 2016

BYShivani Sibal

THE LAST OF the bags packed, Parul and Aahan Sikand were ready to leave their family home for the final time.

THE LAST OF the bags packed, Parul and Aahan Sikand were ready to leave their family home for the final time.Acquired in 1946, Sikand House was intended to be the cradle for many grandsons and great-grandsons in the coming years. Displaced as he was at Partition, Rai Bahadur Manohar Krishna Sikand, Aahan's grandfather, a largely self-made man

Acquired in 1946, Sikand House was intended to be the cradle for many grandsons and great-grandsons in.....

with a premonition about difficult times ahead, didn't suffer the life of a refugee, having swapped his house with that of an equally astute Muslim acquaintance before all the madness began. It was a gentleman's agreement.

The Rai Bahadur arrived in Delhi by air, with gold coins sewn into the lining of his and his wife's coats. Their worthy possessions had followed by road, including the heavy teak furniture and cast- iron cooking ...

07 Dec, 2021

Feel of a thriller, sweep of a family saga

Feel of a thriller, sweep of a family saga

There have been very few debuts that have been endorsed unanimously by all three heavyweights writers in one go—Shobha De, Shashi Tharoor and Chita Divakaruni. Even fewer live up to the high praise, but Shivani Sibal does—and—more so admirably.

17 Nov, 2021

A compelling gaze

A compelling gaze

Written by Devpriya Roy, Shivani Sibal talks about the layers that form the theme in her debut novel, and how it is a simple story of two friends, and their families.

24 Sep, 2021

Capital Cabal

SHIVANI SIBAL’S DEBUT novel Equations is a firecracker. It is the kind of book that makes you want to read without pause.

29 Aug, 2021

Blurs lines of power

Blurs lines of power

A tale of sons of master and servant, Shivani Sibal’s debut novel ‘Equations’ revolves around the lives of Aahan Sikand, scion of the wealthy Sikand family, and Rajesh Kumar, son of Sikand’s driver.

14 Aug, 2021

Shivani Sibal’s novel is an engaging romp through Delhi’s streets of power

Shivani Sibal’s novel is an engaging romp through Delhi’s streets of power

Shivani Sibal’s Equations is a chronicle of power. It is a nuanced depiction of those born into it, those who acquire it, and those who have it taken away.

14 Aug, 2021

The telling of this story is as effective as the story itself.

The telling of this story is as effective as the story itself.

A member of the domestic staff in my house muttered a thickly accented “sorry”, a word she had picked up from me, when I saw her sit on one of the dining chairs.

27 July, 2021

A portrait of 1980s Delhi and its aspirational inhabitants

A portrait of 1980s Delhi and its aspirational inhabitants

Equations is a story of aspiration and social change, of individual ambition and family bonds, told through the lives of two families, the Sikands, a wealthy business clan, and the Kumars, who are the family of their domestic help.

16 July, 2021

Review: Equations by Shivani Sibal

Review: Equations by Shivani Sibal

A memorable portrayal of social dynamics, Shivani Sibal’s novel is unsentimental, thoughtful and compassionate

03 Feb, 2021

A story of individual ambition and fragile family bonds, of aspiration and inevitable social change

A story of individual ambition and fragile family bonds, of aspiration and inevitable social change

t is New Delhi in the 1980s, and Aahan Sikand and Rajesh Kumar are childhood playmates.

12 Mar, 2022

The act of writing makes you confront yourself

The act of writing makes you confront yourself

It is New Delhi in the 1980s, and Aahan Sikand and Rajesh Kumar are childhood playmates. They have been brought up under the care of the same woman, living in the same house, but with starkly different realities

03 Feb, 2021

The drama of a now lost time unfold before our eyes frame by frame

The drama of a now lost time unfold before our eyes frame by frame

A debut novel by Shivani Sibal takes readers back to the 1980s – to the politics of Lutyens’ Delhi, to the story of a traditional family caught in the throes of change.