Let's talk about Dead Man Dreaming and other books

Uday Mukerji
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In Dead Man Dreaming, heart surgeon David faces a Huntington’s disease diagnosis. Alongside his partner Jessie, he launches a global campaign for genetic screening to prevent hereditary suffering. This novel explores medical ethics, sacrifice, and choosing love despite a terminal future.

Episodes

  1. Aug 18

    Marriage is like Schrödinger’s Cat

    The anxiety and the fear of marriage are real for many. They remain sceptical due to the high failure rates and their own fractured family histories. The story explains how a quantum approach to marriage pushes David and Sarah to take the plunge. "Marriage is like Schrödinger's Cat" explores the hesitation and anxiety young couples often face regarding the institution of marriage. The story follows David and Sarah, who are deeply reluctant to marry because of the high divorce rates they see in society and in their own broken families. They choose the status quo. A conflict arises when David’s mother interferes, sparking a tense confrontation about their future and the fear of losing their current happiness. However, a family lunch leads to a surprising resolution when David’s father compares matrimony to Schrödinger’s cat, suggesting a relationship's success is an unknown duality until it is truly lived. This scientific metaphor shifts David's perspective, helping him embrace the inherent uncertainty of commitment. Ultimately, the couple decides to take a quantum leap of faith, testing the strength of their love for each other..

    Marriage is like Schrödinger’s Cat

  2. Aug 15

    Three is Company

    When does it start to feel like, "Every day is just another day?" No doubt, all our relationships face challenges after some time. We run out of novelties, and routine sets in. What shall we do? Shall we ditch the conventional belief that "Two is Company"? Do we add a third person in the mix to spice things up? I know what you’re thinking. David thought so too. First published in Scar Publication's cc&d magazine and later in an anthology, Three is Company explains why it may not be such a bad idea. The story explores the emotional distance and communication breakdown between a married couple, David and Kim, living in Amsterdam. Feeling increasingly isolated despite their physical proximity, David seeks advice from colleagues and friends to break the impenetrable silence in his marriage. They attempt to "spice up" their domestic life, which leads to a significant misunderstanding. While David initially fears his wife is suggesting an open relationship or a third person in the house, the story concludes with the revelation that Kim is actually referring to starting a family. This shift in perspective highlights how miscommunication can distort intimacy and expectations within a long-term partnership. Through this lens, the story examines the vulnerability required to sustain a relationship during major life transitions.

    Three is Company

  3. Jul 18

    Epiphany in Blue Grotto

    Does everything happen for a reason? An ancient dark sea cavern - flooded with emerald light - in the seductive Capri Island off the coast of Naples in Southern Italy may have the answer. The story follows David, planning a romantic proposal to his girlfriend, Emma, during a holiday on the island of Capri. Their journey from Naples is interrupted by an American family of three generations of women, whose presence initially frustrates David's attempts to create a perfect, private moment. While exploring the famous Blue Grotto, a heartfelt argument between the American mother and daughter about living in the moment rather than through social media deeply affects the couple. This shared experience in the glowing sea cave catalyzes Emma to reconsider her views on commitment. Ultimately, the serene atmosphere leads to an unexpected role reversal. Emma proposes to David herself. The narrative highlights the contrast between superficial distractions and the profound realizations that occur when one is truly present.

    Epiphany in Blue Grotto

  4. Jul 16

    Am I a Name or a Number

    Among the eight billion people in the world today, does your existence make any difference? Will they remember your name? Or will you live forever as a number? The story follows David, who struggles with the depersonalisation of modern society, initially resenting how institutions replace his individual identity with numerical tokens. Throughout his life, he reflects on how social security digits, sports jerseys, and consumer data reduce human existence to quantifiable metrics. By the conclusion, David finds a sense of existential peace by reimagining these numbers as a form of digital immortality. He realises that while his physical self is mortal, his recorded data provides a permanent legacy that even artificial intelligence cannot erase. This work serves as a philosophical exploration of how humanity maintains significance within an increasingly automated and data-driven world.

    Am I a Name or a Number

  5. Jul 15

    Undisclosed NDA

    What happens when a recently divorced successful executive collides with a final-year MBA student in a bar who also works in an escort services agency? The story follows Samuel, a man in his early forties seeking solitude at a bar after signing his divorce papers, only to be drawn into a conversation with a younger woman named Jessica. Although she reveals her double life as an MBA student and escort, the two share an intimate night before Samuel insists on ending the brief connection. The narrative takes a sharp turn when Samuel’s stepson, Eddy, unexpectedly brings Jessica to lunch, unaware of her history with his father. Fearing a scandal, Samuel seeks advice from his friend Jimmy, who suggests that Jessica will remain silent to protect her own reputation. Ultimately, the text explores the complexities of modern relationships and the "undisclosed" social contracts that govern private indiscretions. #short story #alailable on Amazon

    Undisclosed NDA

  6. Jul 12

    Face to Face

    Do you often talk to yourself in the mirror?. Is that your inner voice trying to guide you? Michael explores in Face to Face. First published in Ariel Chart and later in an anthology. "Face to Face" explores Michael's internal conflict after he impulsively confesses his love to his partner. Retreating to his bathroom, the protagonist engages in a metaphorical dialogue with "Mike," a reflection of himself in the mirror, who challenges his fears of commitment and past heartbreaks. The story highlights Michael's anxiety regarding vulnerability and the potential consequences of his words within his social circle. Ultimately, the tension resolves when his partner, Melinda, appears and reciprocates his feelings, rendering his internal panic unnecessary. This short story serves as a character study on emotional insecurity and the struggle to move past previous relationship traumas. Available on Amazon.

    Face to Face

  7. Jul 12

    Let's talk about Capital is a Liability

    Why Your "Billion-Dollar" Success Might Actually Be a Liability: Hard Lessons from the Startup Trenches. The story explores the financial and personal downfall of an ambitious entrepreneur, Peter, whose startup initially achieves a billion-dollar valuation through aggressive venture capital funding. While Peter embraces a lavish lifestyle and prioritises superficial corporate status, his wife Michelle remains grounded, identifying the unsustainable cash burn and lack of genuine revenue. Despite Michelle providing a strategic marketing solution via her friend Chloe that briefly boosts growth, the company’s value eventually plummets during subsequent funding rounds. The story concludes with a stark lesson in accounting, as the couple is forced to downsize their lives. Ultimately, the story illustrates the danger of treating investor capital as personal wealth, highlighting the fundamental principle that such funds remain a long-term liability.

    Let's talk about Capital is a Liability

  8. Jul 10

    Chasing the Present

    What is "The Present?" An hour? A minute? A second? A millisecond? A microsecond? A nanosecond? It's shorter than even before you can finish saying it. Take a selfie. You think that's present, right? Unfortunately, no. That's your past, and it has been cast in your past. You can delete it, re-shoot it, or use Photoshop to clean the image, but you can't change that smile. The story follows two legal colleagues, Sarah and Jeremy, engaging in a philosophical debate during a celebratory office party. While Jeremy attempts to enjoy the immediate festivities, Sarah finds herself unable to connect with the moment, feeling a sense of loss once the adrenaline of their recent court victory has faded. She challenges Jeremy’s conventional understanding of "The Present," arguing that it is a fleeting, near-invisible transition between what is yet to come and what has already happened. Through metaphors involving Polaroid pictures, video frames, and linguistic tenses, Sarah illustrates that human experiences are cast into the past almost as soon as they occur. Ultimately, the narrative explores the elusive nature of time, suggesting that what society labels as the present is merely a collection of rapidly accumulating memories.

    Chasing the Present

  9. Jul 9

    Let's talk about Love, Life, and Logic

    2017 Readers' Favorite award winner, Love, Life, and Logic captures the individual struggle of a young man against the seemingly unnamed, unknown, anonymous power of the universe. In a shocking revelation of his innermost thoughts, the book depicts a painful account of his emotional turmoil arising out of his own confusion and dilemmas, and his personal development through all that. Rohan grows up in a middle-class family in a small town in Goa, India. He asks himself many life questions, like we all do every day. Is our life and death an end in itself, or do they have a much deeper implication in a gigantic universal process? Is each human life also somehow connected to the chain of events unfolding every day in front of our eyes? We all have different thumbprints, but why? Are we all a part of big numbers game, or does each one of us really matter? Chased by these and many such questions, Rohan leaves his lucrative job and his family in search of the truth. The journey gets complicated when he meets Adeline, a 23-year-old vivacious girl in Vienna. Love, again? That brings him back to question his failed marriage. Is marriage the end of the road for love? Do all marriages come with an expiration date? It’s the search and the road leading to his final realization that make this book insightful and thought-provoking.

    Let's talk about Love, Life, and Logic

  10. Feb 9

    Let's talk about Dead Man Dreaming

    In Dead Man Dreaming, heart surgeon David faces a Huntington’s disease diagnosis. Alongside his partner Jessie, he launches a global campaign for genetic screening to prevent hereditary suffering. This novel explores medical ethics, sacrifice, and choosing love despite a terminal future.

    Let's talk about Dead Man Dreaming
  • 10 Episodes

About

In Dead Man Dreaming, heart surgeon David faces a Huntington’s disease diagnosis. Alongside his partner Jessie, he launches a global campaign for genetic screening to prevent hereditary suffering. This novel explores medical ethics, sacrifice, and choosing love despite a terminal future.

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