Skip to main content

Borderline by Shabri Prasad Singh


Borderline personality disorder has been the theme of many books but Shabri Prasad Singh brings out a fresh perspective to it with an intriguing story, mostly based on reality.  It is a woman's emotional journey through the borderline disorder and the emotional upheaval it causes. 

Borderline is about life of Amrita Srivastava. It is the journey of her mentality, her being and her soul. The book begins with Amrita's backdrop, her birth and family history. It shows the basic settings of a tender close knit family and how the family breaks apart due to a terrible divorce which impacts Amrita mentally.

Thereon Amrita is fully reliant on her father and she worships him. Upon moving to America for further studies Amrita falls in love, due to her dependence and growing insecurities, the relationship does not work. Amrita comes to India on a holiday only to find her father dead the next morning. This turn of life shatters her everlastingly. She cannot move past her father's death, although her mother remarries, Amrita is hell bent on locating love which in turn makes her obsessed with the men that come in her life leading up to a mental crash.

When Amrita moves back to India she again gets close with another guy but it doesn’t last long. She is required to move into her mother’s home and she finds it difficult to make any connection with them. Amrita finds freedom and liberty when she gets involved with a married man who is called“Pink”, who is the only man who understands her mind and her wavering emotions. 

When her best friend pens an awful book on her Amrita has another mental breakdown and goes to a psychiatrist who diagnoses her with Borderline Personality Disorder.

From here onward, Amrita tries to heal herself and goes to regular therapy. Things seem to look up but when she meets and forms a bond with another woman analyzed with the same disorder who ultimately commits suicide. Amrita becomes psychotic and is taken to a rehabilitation facility. When she comes back from rehab, Amrita has an internal stirring and she confronts her demons and her past by having an internal debate with herself. She reaches catharsis and she takes up writing as a vocation.

Comments

Also read

Cutting people off isn’t strength—It is a trauma response

Your ability to cut people off and self-isolate is not a skill you should be proud of—It is a trauma response Cutting people off and self-isolating may feel like a protective shield, but it is often rooted in unresolved or unhealed trauma and an inability to depend on others. While these behaviors seem like self-preservation, they end up reinforcing isolation and blocking meaningful connections. Confronting these patterns, seeking therapy, and nurturing supportive relationships can help break this unhealthy cycle. Plus, a simple act like planting a jasmine plant can symbolise the start of your journey towards emotional healing. Why do we cut people off and isolate? If you’re someone who prides themselves on “cutting people off” or keeping a tight circle, you might believe it’s a skill—a way to protect yourself from betrayal, hurt, or unnecessary drama. I get it. I’ve been there, too. But here’s the thing: this ability to isolate yourself is not as empowering as it may seem. In fact, i...

Spill the Tea: Ira and the quiet exhaustion of being watched

Ira comes for tea and slowly reveals a life shaped by emotional surveillance. Loved, watched, and quietly evaluated by her parents, she lives under constant explanation. Through food, posture, and confession, she names the exhaustion of being known too well and finds nourishment not just in eating, but in finally being heard. Ira arrived  five minutes early and apologized for it. The way people do when they are used to taking responsibility for time itself. She said it lightly, as if time itself had offended her. She wore a white A-line shirtdress, clean and careful, the kind that looks chosen for comfort but ends up signaling restraint. When she sat down, she folded herself into the chair unconsciously. One leg rested on the floor, the other tucked underneath her, knees visible. It was not a pose meant to be seen. It slipped out before her body remembered how to protect itself. I noticed the brief softness of it, the quiet vulnerability, before she settled and forgot. I was still...

Not Quite Dead Yet- Holly Jackson- A review

Is Not Quite Dead Yet all hype and no heart? A review of Holly Jackson’s thriller You pick up Not Quite Dead Yet expecting a clever, grown up thriller, but you are handed melodrama dressed as urgency. This long form review questions the hype, critiques its shallow characterisation, and asks whether a ticking clock can replace emotional depth, moral consequence, and believable storytelling. Why do you pick up a book that promises a woman will die in seven days? You know this feeling. You walk into a bookshop or scroll online, tired after a long day, and you want certainty. You want a hook that grabs you by the collar and says, “This will matter.” A countdown does exactly that. Seven days to live. A woman solving her own murder. The premise feels urgent, cinematic, and engineered to keep you turning pages even when your better judgement whispers otherwise. Publishing statistics support this instinct. According to data shared by The New York Times and NPR , thrillers with ...