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Yash Bapat | Poetry & Writing

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In these verses, I find catharsis.
Main account - @perpetuallywrong

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All is fair in love and war. But what if both are at the same time!?
#love
#war
#shadow
#indianwriter
[Shadow, Love, War , Breakup, manipulation, rivalry, hatred, books ]

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What if your breakup wasn’t the end of the story, but the beginning of a psychological battlefield?

@perpetuallywrong ‘s ‘Shadow’ dares to ask that question and lures you into the wreckage that follows. It is a tale of slow, smouldering exploration of post-love warfare dressed as a psychological thriller. And in its tension-filled pages, love curdles into obsession, apology into manipulation, and memory into a loaded weapon.

Set in a bustling city of Mumbai, Shadow flits between two timelines, letting the reader sift through the debris of Harsh and Nikita’s relationship. The dual structure is not just aesthetic—it mirrors the inner dissonance of characters caught between who they were and who they’ve become.

Bapat doesn’t give us clear heroes or villains - he keeps things vague and messy. Harsh, who seems calm and quiet, might not be as harmless as he appears. Nikita, who comes off as emotional and impulsive, could actually be the one in control. You’re never sure who’s right, and that’s what makes the story so gripping.

The emotional choreography is masterful. Each flashback is a breadcrumb, leading to a twist that flips the story’s moral axis without theatrics. The writing is sleek, cinematic, and purposefully restrained, fitting for a story that relies more on psychological unravelling than plot gimmicks.

Yet, the book does meander at times, its emotional loops mimicking the exhausting patterns of toxic relationships. But perhaps that, too, is deliberate. After all, real heartbreak rarely offers clean trajectories.

In a literary landscape saturated with second-chance romances, Shadow is a bold, unsettling detour.

It doesn’t ask whether love survives. It asks: What survives us when love doesn’t? And that is what this mind-bending book is all about! Go, give it a read.

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I was reading this mystery story named Shadow for weeks now, which explores the complex relationship between a young couple, Nikita, a 27-year-old investment banker, and Harsh, 25, a businessman’s gifted son with a flair for writing. Did I enjoy the read? Lets check.

It begins with Harsh-her recent ex, visiting her, hoping to get a closure, only to be met with an explosive outburst.

With each chapter, their personalities were getting getting clear to me. There’s a master planner who can turn the table at any cost, and a so-called emotionally unstable messed up person that leads to complete chaos, wrecking every good occassion as much they can.

Jealousy, toxicity, and emotional immaturity define it all over the next 6 months. As they revisited old memories, one action provoked another, dragging them into a cycle of blame and deadly vengeance. It made me wonder: how much is too much, and at times - should friends interfere so deeply in private matters that they end up giving unknowingly some shape to it as well?

The writing style is impressive being a debut novel. Though the number of characters sometimes made it hard for me to follow who was connected to whom. The flashbacks helped explain their bond, though they felt slightly overwhelming at times with their long descriptions of the events reflecting the draining nature of such relationships.

This story will resonate with many in their 20s, it’s relatable, raw, and a mirror to the chaos we’ve either seen or been part of in romantic relationships. The cover art deserves praise. The clever design with the bent figure forming an "A" in "Sh'a'dow" was striking!

But what did I like the most??

CONTINUE IN COMMENTS

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SHADOW - Yash Bapat
Genre -Realistic Fiction, Thriller
4/5

What first caught my eye was the line: “This is not a love story. This is what happens after the love story ends.” It made me curious about what lies on the other side of those rose-tinted glasses, & what followed was a surprising and emotional ride.

Harsh and Nikita are in love, but they’re very different people and opposites attract. Harsh is calm, quiet, and values his personal space, while Nikita is emotional, clingy, and has a strong ego. But when their relationship hits rocky ground, things start to fall apart, and that’s when their descent into madness begins.

This book shows exactly what not to do in a relationship, and there are always two sides to every story - but in this case, we only have the version we’re given. As Harsh & Nikita go through their breakup, we’re taken back to key moments in their past when things slowly unraveled. Personally, I felt that both were at fault—though one a little more than the other, & therein lies my mistake

Reading this book felt like eavesdropping on two close friends, caught in a cycle of love, misunderstanding, and pride. Their story is not rare: how a small gesture of love can be misunderstood, or how even the most sincere attention can feel insufficient- it’s the slow unravelling of love. Every relationship goes through such phases, but how many truly know how to navigate them?

Bapat captures those small, everyday squabbles, giving us a kind of case study—an outside perspective that shows just how petty and pointless these frictions can seem in the grander scheme of things.

But when a broken heart turns to slander, sabotage, and even theft, that’s where the line is crossed. There’s a point of no return—a moment where pain transforms into retaliation. And that’s exactly what unfolds in the story.

The twist at the end is the golden egg. I found myself reading with my mouth shaped in a silent “O,” utterly shocked by the turn of events.

This is the best piece of Realistic Fiction I’ve read. You need to speak to the author to get all the answers.

#qotd Have you ever discussed a book with the author? I’m so glad Instagram has given me a way to do this.

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Proud to unveil the Shadow theme song - produced by yours truly.

Shadow releases 17/05/2025.

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