#Review: Wrong Turns Only by Priyanka Pradhan

Wrong Turns Only pulled me in almost immediately because it begins with a voice that feels young, observant and slightly bruised. Tashi’s relationship with her aunt is established through small disappointments rather than lengthy explanations: the unanswered expectation of a birthday visit, awkward phone calls and the resentment of feeling forgotten. That emotional groundwork gives the story a quiet ache beneath its more adventurous surface.

What I particularly enjoyed is the writing. Pradhan has a knack for making ordinary details do the heavy lifting. The blue corduroy curtains, charcoal sketches, the sound of waves, a crowded train or a stranger’s face become part of Tashi’s way of processing the world. The prose is visual without becoming overly decorative, and the dialogue has an easy, believable rhythm. There is also a lovely sense of movement throughout the pages I read—the story literally travels, but the characters seem to be travelling emotionally as well.

The book’s biggest strength, for me, is its ability to balance coming-of-age uncertainty with larger questions about family, identity, ambition and belonging. Tashi’s encounters with Anupama and other characters seem designed to challenge the assumptions she carries with her, and I liked that the journey is not presented as a neat route from confusion to clarity.

That said, the narrative occasionally feels deliberately fragmented, and I sometimes wanted a little more context before being thrown into a new situation. Some of the transitions rely on the reader to catch up rather than guiding them gently. For younger readers especially, a slightly clearer sense of chronology could have helped.

Still, Wrong Turns Only lives up to its title in an interesting way. It seems to suggest that getting lost is not necessarily failure; sometimes the wrong turn is precisely what puts you on a road you needed to discover.

Find the book here.