And indeed, it is a heart rending story of a strong woman, a story that is both inspirational and awe-inspiring.

Women are considered as the weaker sex but stories like these prove that strength is not determined by physical prowess or by one’s gender; it is the inner strength that matters. T

“Struggled Till Last” is about a woman who has the heart of a lioness.

Ruhi is going to Shimla where her mother is—she is broken, something is amiss in her job and she is leaving behind a world that she had created for herself.

On the way she meets her ex-roommate, Sanjana, and the two girls get talking.

Ruhi is going through a difficult emotional phase and it is Sanjana who comes forward to help her with healing words and encouragement.

As the two friends spend time with each and talk openly, we learn the story of Ruhi’s life, of the struggle that she had endured throughout her life.

Ruhi was affected by an incurable eye defect at an early age of nine and her world had turned upside down.

The doctors gave up on her and yet Ruhi was not ready to give up.

She could not see properly and her vision problems made life hell for her at school.

Her teachers were not ready to accept her problem and cooperate with her. They taunted her and made her feel miserable. Her classmates made fun of her.

But little Ruhi never backed out.

Life had snatched her happiness and dreams away from her but she would not let life have the last word.

Success and victory have different definitions for different people and the definition that is portrayed here is really humbling.

The most disturbing and heart-rending feature of this story is not the struggle of the protagonist but the attitude that this society has for helpless victims of fate.

Ruhi is going through a physical ailment that creates a serious setback for her but even elders who are responsible for her are not in a mental condition to understand her.

Her teachers, her own elder brother—they are all insensitive to her condition. Nothing can be more tough than losing your eyesight and then getting criticised and ridiculed for that loss.

This story just shows how insensitive and mean the world can be sometimes and yet we have to survive and rise above everything.

Reading novels is mostly a recreational habit in our busy lives but when we read stories like "Struggled Till Last", it adds immeasurable value to the whole experience.

We all go through our own struggles and many times we don’t have anyone to hold our hands and support us.

Stories like these can truly inspire us in such critical moments and little girls like Ruhi can become our true friends.

(Reviewed by Priya Das)