Benign Flame: Saga of Love is a plot and character driven literary novel in the classical mould set in the Indian middle-class setting. This romantic fiction interspersed with eroticism endeavours to nuance man-woman chemistry on one hand and woman-woman empathy on another and at another level it delves into many a facet of human psychology.
It's absorbing story encompasses the twists and turns in Roopa's life brought about by Sandhya her friend in lesbian love, Sathyam her apathetic husband, Raja Rao, Sandhya's man, whom she madly loves, Prasad, Sathyam's friend, who desperately woos her, Tara who tries to tempt her into the world of vice.
The denoument of Roopa's life wherein she finds herself in laision with Raja Rao is best described by Spencer Critchley, an American critic thus - "It's a refreshing surprise to discover that the story will not trace a fall into disaster for Roopa, given that many writers might have habitually followed that course with a wife who strays into extramarital affairs"
Who said the novel is dead, Benign Flame raises the bar