Doore

Doore is a contemporary queer novella set in the coastal town of Thalassery, Kerala, exploring love, trauma, and the quiet process of emotional healing. Anjali, a successful photographer, abruptly leaves behind her life in Mumbai to escape a deeply abusive relationship that has left her emotionally drained and isolated. Seeking refuge in a house connected to her childhood, she arrives in Kerala hoping to find distance; from her past, from herself, and from the life she no longer recognizes.
There, she meets Ashwathy, the reserved and introspective daughter of the household. Ashwathy has long admired Anjali from afar, seeing in her a life of confidence and success she believes she can never achieve. Their initial interactions are marked by hesitation and distance, but an unspoken connection begins to form through shared moments of vulnerability. As Anjali slowly begins to find comfort in the stillness of her surroundings, Ashwathy struggles with her growing feelings, burdened by insecurity and the belief that she is not worthy of someone like Anjali.
Their relationship develops in quiet, tentative steps, through conversations, misunderstandings, and emotional closeness neither of them is prepared for. However, Anjali's past refuses to remain buried. When she is forced to briefly return to her professional life, she is confronted by Sanya, her former partner, whose presence reopens unresolved trauma and threatens to undo the fragile progress she has made.
Upon returning to Kerala, Anjali is no longer simply running away, she is forced to confront the emotional damage she carries. As their bond deepens, both Anjali and Ashwathy must face their fears; vulnerability, rejection, and loss. Miscommunication and emotional barriers strain their connection, pushing them toward difficult choices about trust, self-worth, and the possibility of love. At its heart, Doore is a story about distance;between past and present, between perception and reality, and between two people learning to reach for each other despite everything that holds them back.