The Reason Is You by Nikita Singh

The Reason Is You is the second book by Nikita Singh that I have read so far. Nikita Singh is a popular author in the romance genre. Though this book is classified under the same, it’s not as much a romance novel as one would think. The story is set on the backdrop of mental illness, particularly depression, while highlighting the effects of declining emotional health through the story line.

The book begins with the two main characters Siddhant and Akriti, senior residents at AIIMS, meeting for a date. The female lead here seems normal in the beginning but from the point she receives a shocking news that night, she slowly but progressively begins losing control through the story. The devastating loss Akriti faces leaves her no choice but to lean on Siddhant for support. It is shown how amidst dealing with grief and continuing with her residency Akriti struggles to keep her mental and emotional state under check. Looking at her state, as someone dealing with a loss and having to do it alone, Siddhant takes it up as his responsibility to be there for her no matter what. Before either of them could get to know each other properly and proceed with what they had started, like they normally should- Siddhant finds himself inside a love-relationship that was just declared in the heat of an emotional moment- one that he had little to no say over.

As the story progresses Akriti’s symptoms of depression begin to worsen- from extreme sadness and isolation to fear, insecurity and rage. While Siddhant struggles to help her, it seems like everything he does is only making things worse.

The author now decides to bring in the male lead’s ex-girlfriend Maahi into the story who proves to be understanding and supportive at a time when Siddhant begins to believe that nothing in his life is about him anymore and worries if he is losing himself in the process of helping Akriti.

This book is apparently the sequel to a book the author had previously written– Like a Love Song. It’s a usual Indian romance novel which focuses on Maahi (the ex-girlfriend) and her love story with Siddhant. Their relationship ends in that book and is re-kindled in this one.

Things the book conveys wonderfully-

The fact that a person is struggling mentally does not always make him/her a victim in the equation. The story suggests that every person deals with their depression differently and not all dig a hole and hide themselves in it. Some might turn out to be abusive or even destructive.
There will be people who will want to stick with you in your hardest times and people who just want to be away. The book shows contrasting characters who are good people but just make different choices when it comes to dealing with a depressed person who is also getting increasingly abusive.

At the end of the day you will have to try to be better. You are the one that has to decide and take the step. No one else can help you beyond a point if you don’t want to make an effort to change the way things are.

Though leaning on someone during hard times is a necessity, it shouldn’t always be that way. Sometimes you will have try and think about the other person too. The person supporting could be going through a lot more than they might let on.

Just because you took the responsibility of being there for someone going through a rough time does not mean you cannot draw a line at some point. Your wellbeing matters as much as theirs. Don’t lose yourself while taking care of someone.

Finally, the main take away from the story is that ignoring the signs of depression or any other mental illness for that matter can drive you to put yourself and those around you in serious danger.

I don’t intend on giving away any spoilers so I will just say that Akriti, the charachter facing mental and emotional troubles in the story goes on to become unpredictable and impulsive. She transforms into someone who isn’t inherently a bad person but when her mind gives up and has repeated meltdowns, she proves to be harmful for herself and those with her.

Things which could have been better-

I thought it was a little too dramatic. Obviously arguments and fights in an unhealthy relationship can make little sense because either one or both are always trying to twist the scenario or the argument but the author takes it to another level in the story that might make you wonder- Is this another episode the person is having or is it just who they truly are that’s coming out now?
It seemed a bit unrealistic how someone who barely knows a person would go to such lengths to care for them, especially when they weren’t being treated rightly.

Summing up-

The writing style was really good and the description the author gives of the extreme situations in the book along with the picturization of the scenes is just marvelous. I believe this book has helped many people open their eyes to the problems of living with mental illnesses and continuing to ignore them.

It has also shown that a person struggling with their mental health will not necessarily cocoon in pain always. There will be gloomy days for all but it is very much possible that for some it could stem into various other issues like- rage, insecurity, unexplained fears, outbursts and abuse too. All these could be unintentional, nonetheless the person will still be actively showing them, hurting themselves and those around.

Conclusion-

Lastly, I want to say- read this book if you want to understand the importance of mental health and the care with which you should treat someone struggling, even yourself. I also hope you will not take it in as it is because not everything about this story is realistic. For instance, I really doubt if a depressed person would go to such lengths (read the book to know what I’m talking about) to hurt the other person. That sure seemed like a desperate need of the author to shift the direction of the story. However, the book really gives you an insight into the life of not just the sufferer but also of the person supporting them and quietly struggling, probably a lot more than they feel allowed to speak.