Chai and a Pinch of Salt

Chai and a Pinch of Salt by bulletproof.cupid

It's funny the things you learn about a person after they die. I loved him once. Could I love him again? -Young Sofia has just come back to Pakistan, lured by her father's death. Can she overcome her grief? Moreover, can she trust herself not to fall in love with the one person she can never have? Love has never been so tempting. The tale of a girl and her once-upon-a-time servant.
Banner Credit: Atramento

Melissa Thinks: In the ongoing fictional story "Chai and a Pinch of Salt", the reader is immersed in a culture that we don't often read about on FictionPress or even in published novels. Sofia returns to Pakistan after the sudden death of her father. Here she lives with her many cousins, her uncle, the servants, and her childhood best friend Zafar. The theme of family is pervasive throughout the text and, although romance does not play a large part in this story, it does exist within it. Sofia deals with the loss of her father, a man she was just beginning to know, and the grief that comes with his death. She's faced with the aftermath of her departure from Pakistan 15 years earlier; how her father has seemingly moved on, how her childhood friend is very much a different boy, and how life in Pakistan compares to her life in London.

Beautiful flowing descriptions help to reel the reader in. Once you start, it's hard to stop reading as the delicate writing keeps you addicted. I honestly enjoy learning about Pakistani culture, language, and customs from this story and it feels like the author tries hard to teach you about the main character's life without being too invasive. Even though there's a depressive nature to the plot, bulletproof.cupid is adept at slipping in little pieces of humor to amuse her readers. Sofia has a strong voice and is an attractive character, yet is flawed, which is one of the best things about the story. Reading about her emotions - her anger, loss, jealousy, guilt, gives her life and gives the story a defining quality.

I only have one complaint, and it's not really a complaint, but the chapters are about 2k words long each and I just find myself craving more at every end I come to. Although the grammar could use some tweaks, the author is seemingly very open to critique and constructive criticism, so I encourage everyone to help this budding author out.