Crosssword drew me in during my quest for this book. Once Ms Banu Musthaq was all over the press, the world woke up to her tremendous literary contribution. I urgently wanted to get my hands on "Heart Lamp". Our newspapers have perpetually been carrying heart-wrenching accounts of women's plight in India. Irrespective of our background, walk of life, education and financial status, patriarchy spares none. When such a social system is coupled with religious dictations, especially in a minority community, a woman's every living moment becomes a fight for survival. Existence shapeshifts into a thankless job filled with self-soothing compromises and delusions.  "Heart Lamp" had short stories, but left long-lasting impressions, I wasn't prepared to bear. I had to take breaks between each one for the sake of my own sanity. These cautionary tales required a period of recovery. Mind you, none of them felt fictitious. They can't be. You need to brace yourse...