A Dream of Duplicity by A.M. Gautam

Book description

Set in the quaint hill-station of Landour, India this is the story of Aayaan, a painter whose mind always shows him the world in a way that suits him the best, and of Kavya, a writer, who is coping with the recent death of her parents by dropping out of college and opening up a pizzeria.

Aayaan’s everyday life in Landour reeks of loneliness and mundane routines; his days often begin with him waking up in his bed and wishing that he had not woken up at all. His only relief is his weekly visits to the newly-opened Sawyer’s Pizzeria where, while gobbling down pizza, he can watch the girl he fancies, Kavya’s twin sister, Kalpana.

Things take a darker turn soon, however, and blood spills when it is revealed that one of the sisters suffers from existential crises, or rather, a crisis of existence.

About Author A.M. Gautam:

AM Gautam is an author based in Bangalore, India. His short stories and poems have been published in India, Singapore, the USA, and the UK. One of his speculative short stories was included in the Best Asian Fiction Anthology, 2018 by Kitaab, Singapore. He is also the winner of the Short Story 2020 contest by Defenestrationism.net.
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My Thoughts


I really love the fact that this author uses a culture I am not all that familiar with as I have learned so much and feel like I got to experience being in the country and seeing it from the eyes of a native to that country

When reading this you don’t at first feel any urgency it felt more contemporary with just showing more of the world that Ayaan lives in.

Ayaan is interesting and feels extremely awkward especially when dealing with women which to me is very relatable as I am also awkward around women I happen to like.

Kalpana I am still not sure about her and I don’t know what to think. She hasn’t really been very free with what she is telling Ayaan and she doesn’t have a huge personality.

Ayaan is the type of person that I could see being friends with. He is nice and love animals and is helpful. He has the personality that makes him great friend and leader.

The story is very endearing and seems to more show a love story which isn’t usually my thing. Don’t get me wrong any story with great characters is always a plus and Ayaan to me is certainly a character that will become great as you see so much growth and potential.

It is hard not to keep reading as I keep expecting something a bit darker but that may be because I am hooked on the darker subjects that you see in crime books. I do think there is more to what I am seeing and that maybe I am missing things as I am not always good at picking up smaller plot points.

What I find interesting is the delving into the mind as well as they talk about some mental health issues. I think that this will shine some light on them and stop some of the stigma that people feel should be associated with mental health.

Definitely not what ones expecting from a book but loved it especially as it deals with so much. It sounded darker in my head when I saw the description but despite not being as dark as my normal reads this had me loving it and just wanting a lot more.