ANTARAM: A Psychological Literary Fantasy Novel by Yashasvi Bhandari – Psychological Fantasy, Literary Fantasy, ADHD

Antaram: A Psychological Literary Fantasy Novel by Yashasvi Bhandari is a journey towards not just self-discovery but self-creation. Arjun, a struggling writer and single father, knows for certain that he doesn’t want to continue the life path he’s fallen into but has no idea how to change course or in what direction he should go.

Nearing thirty and pushing a broom at a dead-end job that’s going nowhere—just as every other job he’s held since he left school —Arjun clings to fantasies of bigger and better things.

He was a bright star in school, but as an adult he’s been drifting inexorably toward the bottom. Something is keeping him down and holding him back, but he doesn’t know what that something is. When he’s fired yet again, it feels like all hope is lost.

Arjun uses the fantastic journeys of his dreams and states of altered consciousness to push himself forward into a life that will lift him up instead of constantly reminding him that his brain isn’t wired quite like everyone else’s.

From inside Arjun’s head, the reader is able to experience the perspective of someone who lives with a particular form of ADHD, specifically ADHD-I (ADHD-Inattentive) that limits focus and attention to time, causing them to lose track of immediate responsibilities in daydreams and mental spirals. The narrative does a marvelous job illustrating how difficult it is for Arjun to navigate social structures of modern life, work, and interpersonal interactions.

Arjun marches to the beat of a different drummer, an erratic drummer, and in his story the reader is able to hear those beats for themselves.

This grounded real-world struggle takes on otherworldly heights when Arjun finds himself inexplicably catapulted into his mindscape, “Antaram,” which in Sanskrit means “within.”

Antaram combines literary fiction with a mishmash of fantasy tropes and archetypes, borrowing from such classics as The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.

Through this world of imagination, Arjun finds inspiration for both life and work that allows him to use his differences as strengths instead of weaknesses.

Yashasvi Bhandari offers a fascinating psychological exploration in Antaram, both in the character of Arjun and in how the writing of this novel helped expand Bhandari’s own understanding of himself. Life imitates art imitates life in a full circle that compels readers to keep turning the pages of this fantastic ride.

*This book comes with a Content Warning for violence, sexual assault, and drug and alcohol addiction.