When Tethers Fray


Fiction - Literary
361 Pages
Reviewed on 07/04/2025
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

"When Tethers Fray" began not as a story, but as a question: What do we carry into our final moments? And what do we leave behind in the hearts of others?
I spent time in a palliative care unit—not as a writer researching a setting, but as a witness to endings. I saw grief expressed in glances, in silence, in gentle touches. I watched someone I care about find strength not just to endure, but to overcome. These moments didn't ask for drama; they asked for attention. Stillness. Honesty. That's where this book lives.
Writing "When Tethers Fray" was my way of listening to those spaces between words. It allowed me to explore not just mortality, but the deeply human need to make meaning from who we are, how we're seen, and the quiet myths we carry. It's a novel about the stories we tell ourselves, and what happens when those stories begin to change.
This book remains close to my heart not because it provides answers, but because it trusts the questions. I hope, in some small way, it invites you to do the same.
Thank you for reading. — Rajiv Mittal

    Book Review

Reviewed by Zahid Sheikh for Readers' Favorite

When Tethers Fray by Rajiv Mittal is a deeply moving novel that follows Uma, a hospice nurse who cares for people in their final days. Through her eyes, we see the quiet struggles of patients and their families as they face the reality of death. The story gently unfolds around Uma’s visits to those she tends to, especially focusing on Martha, a woman with late-stage dementia, and her husband Wayne, who is worn down by the burden of care. The book explores themes of love, loss, and the difficult choices people make when life’s threads begin to unravel. It’s a thoughtful look at the moments that often go unnoticed but have great meaning, inviting readers to reflect on the fragility of life and the power of compassion.

Rajiv Mittal’s writing is tender and clear, with a steady pace that allows the emotions to emerge without rushing. The characters feel real and complex, especially Uma, whose quiet strength and vulnerability shine through every page. The plot is subtle, focusing more on small, meaningful interactions than dramatic action, which makes the story feel intimate and authentic. Themes of duty, love, and grief are woven throughout in a way that is both realistic and hopeful. I was deeply touched by the way the author captures the dignity and pain of dying, alongside the resilience of those who care. Reading this book reminded me how important it is to be present for others, even in the hardest times. Anyone who appreciates stories about human connection and the quiet courage of everyday life will find When Tethers Fray heartfelt and unforgettable.

Editorial reviews on Amazon

A Luminous Study in Restraint and Humanity

When Tethers Fray is a novel of extraordinary stillness. It doesn't clamour for attention with ornate sentences or sensational twists. Instead, it earns its emotional weight through quiet observation, tonal consistency, and a deep understanding of what it means to witness the end of life without turning away.

The book is structured as a series of encounters. Yet these aren't stories in the conventional sense—they are moments, fragments, sidelong glances at grief, memory, and the human need to be known before disappearing. The prose is pared down, almost austere at times, but all the more affecting for it.

The narrator's voice is one of the novel's greatest strengths: unshowy, intelligent, and laced with dark humour and compassion. The emotional terrain is navigated with precision. There is no sentimental manipulation here.

Stylistically, the book achieves a rare balance between the poetic and the clinical, the personal and the philosophical. The sketches—both literal and metaphorical—serve as an unusual framing device.

Highly recommended for readers who value restraint over melodrama, and emotional intelligence over narrative pyrotechnics.

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A Quietly Devastating Masterpiece

I picked up When Tethers Fray expecting a gentle story about hospice care—but what I found was something far deeper, more layered, and quietly unforgettable.

What struck me most is how the book resists melodrama. There are no grand reveals, no tear-jerking set pieces, just small, precise observations rendered with grace and restraint. The patients and the staff feel real, flawed, human. And Uma herself is a presence I'll carry with me for a long time.

There are books that shout, and books that sing. This one listens. And in listening, it teaches you how to pay attention—to pain, to dignity, to what is said and unsaid.

It's the kind of novel that doesn't end when the last page is turned. It lingers.

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I Didn't Know a Book Could Understand Me Like This

This was not just a novel for me—it was a mirror. I lost my mother in hospice last year, and since then I've read many books trying to make sense of what I went through. When Tethers Fray is the first one that gave me solace - reading of others facing similar moments as my mother and me.

Uma, the nurse who narrates the story reminded me so much of the quiet nurses who sat by my mum's bed, holding her hand long after we thought it mattered. It also made me think of how much we never know about the people who care for us, who carry our grief, and then disappear without fanfare.

This book helped me grieve all over again—but also made me feel a little less alone in it. If you've ever lost someone, if you've ever sat beside a bed and wondered if anything you're doing matters—read this book. It matters.

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A novel that feels familiar, even when it surprises you

Some books introduce characters. Others introduce people you swear you've met before.

When Tethers Fray is filled with those kinds of people—the ones you recognise in a friend, a relative, a colleague. The ones who carry unspoken burdens. The ones who navigate love and duty in ways that feel deeply familiar. The ones who don't always say the right thing, who falter, who try anyway.

Reading this, I found myself thinking of people I know—someone who, like Mohan, wrestles with expectation and restraint. Someone who, like Uma, observes more than she reveals. Someone whose silences speak louder than their words.

It's not just a novel. It's a reflection of conversations we've had, relationships we've struggled through, truths we've hesitated to face. And somehow, that makes it linger even longer.