Vaibhav was nothing out of ordinary. In fact, if you pass him by, at a not so busy road, you may not even notice him. His ordinary face complimented his bogged down personality. But he is the hero of his own life.
This is a simple heart touching story everyone must read.
Cover page
I was watching the book wandering amongst the bloggers but I did not intend to pick it up, just for its cover. The cover is highly uninteresting. It gives away the gist of the story. So does the title. But all in a boring way. All I want to say is the cover does not do justice to the text inside. I liked the legible big font inside, though. That makes it an easy read.
Characters
It is a character-centric novel. The two main characters are the Vaibhav and his daughter.
‘Vaibhav was by no stretch of imagination, a good looking man. His fair excuse could have been that he hardly had time or motivation to stand before the mirror and work on his appearance. But then he was not particularly charming prince when he was eighteen and had more time on hand.’
Vaibhav is a regular man belonging to the middle class. His hair is always oiled a bit too much and falling on the wrong side. He is always measuring his expenses like anyone from middle-class background does. Despite all these struggles, Vaibhav possesses a pure heart and a strong conscience.
Nisha is the only family Vaibhav knows. She is a charming girl who is always topping her class. An ideal daughter that Vaibhav is proud of.
The characters are cliché but in a good way. They touch your heart and make you beam with pride for your middle-class upbringing. They connect with people.
Vaibhav possesses a strange self-mocking sense of humor which is all the more appealing. The author has done a fantastic job with both his main characters. But the devil is in details. His boss, Bhandari, and his ardent nemesis are beautifully portrayed.
Content
It is the story of a father and his daughter and the relationship they share.
Vaibhav is always insecure when it comes to Nisha. Of not providing for her enough or providing her way too much that she gets spoilt. He is doing everything in his power to keep Nisha happy and content and she knows it. But the devils from past seldom leave you. They come back to haunt you and more the time passes the more they hurt.
Nisha is having a great life until one day after her birthday party things start going downhill. Her scores drop and she is always sad.
Vaibhav seeing her this way decides to make one dream come true for his daughter.
The price he pays for that and the beautiful journey they share is worth looking forward too.
For a story which moves really slow in the beginning, this one is going to introduce you to new surprises.
Language
The language is simple. There are no jazzy words which will make you run for a dictionary. But the narration is what takes the cake away. The story is told with a great grip on the emotions. The author is quite inventive while giving his clichéd characters and extra edge. The pacing of the story is well planned too. There is enough commotion and speed.
Good points
The publishers have taken a bold decision by using large enough font for reading comfort. It is definitely easy on eyes. The characters are beautiful. The content is well paced. The narration is what fills life into the story.
Bad points
The cover is not catchy enough. It is easy to miss on the bookshelf. Vaibhav keeps reminding readers of his background which feels a lot like asking for pity at times. This may not go well with some of the readers.
Overall
This one is definitely a surprise. Definitely worth reading at least once.
Whom do I recommend this to
This one is for those who enjoy short and simple stories. Those who feel saturated with heavy books might want to pick this one up.
Quotable quotes
Her father was never the handsomest man in the room, but he wore the most honest smile.
_I received this book for review. It did not influence the review at all. _