C -39 “I’ve never been unhappier” By — Shaheen Bhatt
“ 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭. 𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦.” @shaheenb
I totally understand how books that are literally shoved onto our faces by the media, ones that instantly become ‘Instagram trends’ by influencers’ get heavily tainted in the domains of serious literature for their frivolity. But here I am, unabashedly singing praises for a book that came from a place of acknowledgement of privilege that garnered it’s presence along with its rightful usage to talk about a topic that is either romanticised out of proportions or hushed into margins.
Depression is a complex psychological condition, and penning this most complex deserves a reward in itself! Thus, it is best if it is portrayed by people who have actually survived it, rather than those who attempt to touch upon the second-hand feeling of it!
Shaheen was extremely honest throughout the book. The book makes you cry and smile with every flip. Though her struggle may have been privileged, its impact on worsening her condition is quite evident. Also as I mentioned before, she time to time acknowledges her leverage in society, which makes us realise how tough it would've been for people who do not have access to resources for a condition as fragile as mental illness.
Shaheen talks about how she knew she was facing some abnormal feel even before her teenage years and opens up about being body-shamed and constantly compared to her sister, Alia Bhatt. The chapters are accompanied by personal anecdotes and pictures, giving the readers clearer insight. It is an all-consuming book and must be read only when you feel comfortable mentally.
Well in her words,
“Take off the mask. (Not literally lol) You aren’t happy? Fine, you aren’t happy. One day you will be. And then you’ll be sad again. Accept that and stop wasting your energy chasing something that doesn’t exist. You can’t spend your life feeling bad about feeling bad.”
