Ruskin Bond arrived in England’s unknown waters in all of 17. After landing a hectic job as a clerk, his only respite was old British comedies that he would watch between his errands.
His struggles in life finally were slowly paying off when he cleared the civil services exam and bagged an impressive fourth place in the entire island. A chance encounter of his uncle discovering his journal led him to leave Jersey and set off to London. His earliest breakthrough with writing was with an upcoming publisher called Andre Deutsch Ltd which later on went to publish his debut novel, The Room on the Roof. The journal entries written in his attic culminated into the form of a debut novel.
‘Listen To Your Heart’ is an autobiographical account of his time in England when he was an aspiring writer armed with his ‘trusted ink pen’ charting unknown waters. He writes about fearing a final goodbye to his found family in India and the affection he received from his aunt. We also learn a little bit about the history of Jersey and how some of his famous characters like Rusty were developed. He catches a whiff of London air and tries to play with the waves which explains his love for nature. Ruskin falls head over heels in love with a Vietnamese woman Vu and relentlessly pursues her.
Ruskin Bond’s story is one of determination and seizing opportunity and staying strong come what may. He faced numerous rejections, but he persisted nevertheless. There was innocence in which the events where narrated which made me wonder how can one change their writing style with such ease.
It’s written in a way to mould the young minds and tug at the heartstrings of the older readers. The charming monochrome illustrations enhances the storytelling experience.
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