This story is a three-part narrative based on the real-life experiences of a young Indian man born and raised in the UAE. This semi-autobiographical journey spans over two decades, tracing the protagonist's emotional growth through three significant relationships, academic struggles, and his eventual return to the place where it all began.
The story draws from the author's personal experiences as a Keralite born in the UAE in 1999 and raised in the cultural intersection of Indian heritage and Middle Eastern surroundings. As readers follow his journey from Sharjah to Kerala and back again, they witness how unrequited feelings, missed opportunities, and personal failures ultimately lead to self-discovery and redemption.
For Readers:
- The narrative finds its way to a unique perspective of a third-culture child – born to Indian parents in the UAE, educated in an Indian school abroad, and later returning to his ancestral homeland for higher education.
Throughout the story, the protagonist struggles with communication and expressing his feelings, leading to unresolved relationships that haunt him throughout different phases of his life.
- The story is structured as a coming-of-age tale where romantic disappointments catalyse personal growth rather than endpoints.
- The setting shifts between the arid, modernized landscape of the UAE and the lush, traditional environment of Kerala, reflecting the protagonist's internal conflict between different aspects of his identity.
- While based on true events, certain elements have been fictionalized to enhance the narrative flow, and names and specific details have been altered to protect privacy.
"Dreams of Sand" ultimately speaks to anyone who has felt caught between worlds, struggled to find their voice, or learned that sometimes the most important relationship to develop is the one with oneself.