When Stars Fell Into My Soup

About the Book

Spencer Diaz, a sixteen-year-old teenager, is dying. Almost. Probably. Well, it is up to his doctor and his dad to decide how long to wait for a transplant before they pull the literal plug on his life support system. While he awaits his fate at a hospital in Del Rio, Texas, Spencer ponders over the soupy mess that his life is, what with a runaway mother, an outcast band of friends, and the odd gun shooting in the school corridors, not to mention the steady dose of bullying and the angsts of growing up. Stepping out from the medically induced com(m)a into a full stop sounds too appealing.

Will Spencer give in to his fears or give being alive another chance?

While Spencer's morphine-addled brain meanders, a dozen other stories, spanning across multiple cities in the US and India, get entwined with his-an ailing widow, a soon-to-be groom, a lost son, a hopeful father-to-be, a lonely romantic, a once-envious sister, a desolate dad, a has-been wife, a jilted partner, a vagabond traveller, a hushed daughter and a scared spectator-each dealing with the dramatic soap operas of their own lives.

Will they find the stars that fell into their soup? Will they discover their true north?

Journey through the pages of this heartfelt book, peppered with slice-of-life humor. You may well find your place in the celestial (dis)order of the zodiacs.

About the Author

Puneet Gupta is your classic techie-turned-storyteller-only with a few unexpected plot twists and detours along the way. He fell in love with storytelling early on, but took the scenic route through an alternate reality of engineering degrees (IIT Delhi, University of Maryland) and a winding journey through the tech world before finding his way back to his true passion.

With a right brain that refuses to sit still and a heart that beats in bold italics, Puneet has spent the last three decades chasing creativity-whether through art, theatre, travel, or writing. His five years in the US, first as a student and then as a professional, turned out to be a shift in narrative, helping him find his voice as a writer drawn to slice-of-life stories, quirky poetry, and deeply human narratives about authenticity and belonging.

Born and raised in Delhi, Puneet now calls Bangalore home-the city where most of his creative dreams took flight. He has penned four plays (in both English and Hindi), a book of poetry, and numerous short stories. When Stars Fell Into My Soup is his debut novel.