My Name is Cinnamon by Vikas Prakash Joshi is about a young boy Roshan who is lovingly called Cinnamon by his family and friends.
Cinnamon is an adopted child and his adoptive parents have never hid this fact from him. He knows his parents love him and he loves them in equal measure. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t times when he doubts his parents’ love.
The story is of Cinnamon coming to understand his life and finding his roots in this world where he sometimes feels wrong-footed. He is a lovable boy who finds happiness with his friends and family.
The book also touches upon Usher Syndrome, a genetic illness where the patient slowly loses his eyesight and hearing. The knowledge that their son has this illness devastates the parents but they hide it from Cinnamon until the time is right to tell him.
We move from Pune to Kolkata to Nandurbar Hills with Cinnamon and his family. His experiences at all these places not only enrich his life but also give us a glimpse of what a happy life should look like. The impending problems due to his illness does not prevent his parents from giving him all the experiences he wants and should get from his life.
The book is a light hearted read and is heart warming despite touching upon the hard hitting facts about adoption and Usher Syndrome. It is about a family coming to terms with what their future holds and not being daunted by it.
I just wish the writer had delved into the Usher Syndrome a little more. The ending seemed a little rushed as compared to the earlier parts. Other than that, I found this book quite interesting and heartily recommend it.
My rating: 4.2/5
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