Durjoy Datta is quickly climbing the charts to be one of the most loved authors in Indian literature. Durjoy Datta is known to explore different aspects of modern love stories. These love stories are not simple. Things here get messy, ugly, irreparable, and according to Mr. Datta, this is how love works. The author possesses a flair of writing. He can make you stop eating and drinking till you finish the book. I have come to hear similar praises from other book bloggers. Durjoy Datta has missed the mark slightly in this particular book of his.
Cover-page
The image in the cover is quiet uninteresting. The jig-saw heart could be used for on cover of any love story. The lack of specificity of the cover is quite disappointing. The typography and the Color combination further worsen the art. The description at the back of the book feels cheesy.
Characters
The author has a knack for creating interesting characters. His characters are like their own. In this book one will get to see two more such characters.
Aranya has a skin condition. There is no cure for the same. For this specific reason she becomes the most hated among the siblings. Her parents blame her for all the bad things that happen to her. Her ultimate dream is to rise high in her career, fly abroad and live out her life alone.
Dhruv is a reckless son of divorced parents. His mother left his father for another man. His father turns to alcoholism for respite. Dhruv is left on his own. His only goal in his life is to not turn out like his mother, or father.
Both the characters are portrayed with immense depth in the book. Both of them are wounded in their own way. That is what brings them closer and repels them too.
Content
The book follows the life of Aranya and Dhruv from the time they are in school. They find solace in each other and then get separated. Hate brews in their hearts for each other which means they have to meet each other again at some point in their lives.
That is what college is for. They are admitted in the same college which gives them opportunity to start their revenge plot. But what they don’t know is they do not hate each other. They are actually in love with each other and they are afraid to admit it.
The beginning of the book showed a lot of promise. The story started out well but it went on to stretch out for no particular reason. Both the characters are clueless about what they are doing with their lives. The author has command over writing emotions. This time he has just exploited it till you want to put down the book because there is no story in the book.
Aranya is a self pitying woman. But there is really no need of two whole pages of self criticism in the book. Often while reading the book you will find yourself wondering where the story is going. And when it ends, it ends abruptly.
The book is a sad attempt at story writing.
Language
Durjoy Datta has written the book like he usually writes it, how we speak English. There are some great lines in the book which set it apart otherwise the book is no literary wonder.
Good points
The characters in the book are unique. They have a lot of potential. Durjoy Datta has given us some quotable lines in the book.
Bad points
The cover-page is unappealing. So is the title. Gone are the days with quirky titles which caught attention. The publishers have resolved to using the author’s name for sale of the books. There is no meat in the story. It starts well in the beginning but that is all.
Overall
Durjoy Datta gave an illusion of raising the bar if I were to believe the media but after reading the book it hardly seems so. He has a long way to go. This is definitely not his best work.
Who do I recommend this to
The book is for those who are starting out to read. The writing being simple is not going to intimidate readers. It is also for those who enjoy cheesy romance and some good quotable lines.
Quotable Quotes
Maybe love was nothing more than finding someone who loved the exact things that you did.
That’s the cliché about love. You don’t choose it. It chooses you.