Aru Shah and the End of Time

Aru gets pulled into a magical world to fulfill a quest that features characters and elements from Hindu mythology, particularly the Mahabharata. In keeping with the grand scale of the source material, it is fitting that Aru embarks on a “hero’s journey,” the monomythic narrative structure seen in so many epic tales. However, Aru is ultimately a young girl, whose story is yet to unfold across four more installments of the series. In keeping with this, the narrative structure and themes in the book are equally influenced by Campbell’s hero’s journey, as well as the very real and relatable conflicts experienced by an adolescent child.

The first few chapters reflect the “Departure” on the journey: the “call the adventure”, “supernatural aid”, “crossing the threshold”, and “the belly of the whale” each take place through Aru lighting the lamp, Boo’s appearance, the journey to collect Mini and travel to the Otherworld, and the Claiming that takes place at the Court of Sky, respectively. Similarly, a large chunk of the remaining story sees the girls on the “Initiation” part of the journey, as they face numerous trials and ordeals, and meet with different allies like Valmiki, the Seasons, Chitrigupta, and even the Palace, who each give them gifts and advice to aid their quest.