Book Review : She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Title : She Loves Me,

He Loves Me Not

Author : Zeenat Mahal

Publisher : Indireads

Zoella has grown nurturing a silent crush for Fardeen Malik for many years. She happens to be the best friend of Fardeen's sister but she knows her feelings would never get reciprocated as Fardeen is already engaged to a  stunning socialite. Moreover, the two engaged families belong to the same section of the society. But destiny has something else in store for all of the characters when Fardeen gets badly disfigured in an accident. The accident takes away a lot from Fardeen besides his handsome looks and his fiancée is one of those. From a prince charming he transitions into an annoying, hurtful and hateful person. Twist of circumstances brings Zoella closer to Fardeen but was she wishing for such a fate for herself and for his beloved?

'She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not' is a love story set in modern day Pakistan while keeping the soul of a classic fairy tale intact. Hopeless circumstances, sudden twists, fate playing a big role, some baseless notions, tempers and much more are beautifully dealt with in the narrative.

The author has painstakingly carved the characters Zoella and Fardeen. Zoella, a silent admirer of her friend's brother, sincere in her duties and a family person does all for her family without expecting anything in return. Fardeen has always been away from any troubles or imperfections of life till he confronts a situation where he comes face to face with his own not so pleasing new reflection. Riding different waves of emotions and feelings, they end up tying their lives together and what follows is a bumpy ride.

The way different perspectives are dealt with and are allowed to develop gradually is a commendable job done by the author. Readers would surely appreciate how Zoella matures into a confident and strong individual from a shy and timid girl. Moreover, the window that Zeenat has opened into Pakistan through her writing is quite alluring. Her description of that world's traditions and  customs is fascinating and keeps the readers glued to the story till the last page. However, a tighter editing could have cut down a few pages from the book that keep highlighting their mutual conflicts. 

Book Review : Girl From Fatehpur

Title : Girl From Fatehpur

Author : Sarita Varma

Publisher : Indireads

When I was asked to review a romantic novella, I was not much interested in reading yet another book of this genre. Although 'Pride and Prejudice' still happens to be one of my all time favourites but then it is 'Pride and Prejudice', a different class where everything from characters, situations to feelings are dealt with utmost care and aestheticism. Unfortunately the new age romance novels are not considered complete without some dose of those 'scenes' in them. I have a big grouse that innocent and decent romantic stories are hard to find. But 'Girl From Fatehpur' was like a whiff of fresh air which contains all elements to bring a pleasant smile on a reader's face.

I always maintain that a story can aim to make an impression on readers if it offers something new either in terms of plot or in the execution of the same. If neither of these get satisfied then readers feel cheated. Sarita Varma's story excels in the execution category. It is a simple story of a small town girl Sanjana, who is now working in Mumbai. She happens to be the point of adoration of one of her seniors Krish who proposes her for marriage. But something in Krish does not make Sanjana feel the way she wants to. Before committing herself to a relationship with Krish, she wants to give herself some time to think it through. A family wedding comes as a perfect escape to distance herself from expectant eyes of Krish for sometime.

There she happens to meet Rajan - a childhood friend and a neighbour. As a young teenager she had nurtured some tender feelings for Rajan but Rajan was at the threshold of giving wings to his life in the promising land of US. Back in Fatehpur, during the marriage preparations there are ample situations in which they are thrown together and this gives them the chance to know each other better. But do they really know each other better now? Does Rajan muster the courage to overcome his fear of commitment which he had inadvertently developed seeing failed marriage of his parents? Would Krish be able to woo Sanjana in the wedding itself? The marriage commotion, various preparations, the kumbh mela, all add beautiful colours to the narrative.

Sanjana is portrayed as a pretty, loving and simple girl with her head rightly placed on her shoulders. Rajan is a doting friend to Sanjana and is clearly in an unfamiliar situation when he confronts his own feelings. A commitment wary person, Rajan finds himself at loss of words when he is pitted against Krish. 

The impeccable and lucid language and taut editing - deserve special mention. Language is perfectly balanced, neither unnecessarily flowery nor low on adorning the proceedings appropriately. The characters are neatly created and developed. A feel good story that would leave readers with happy and pleasant feelings. Perfect for short, fun light-read. 

Book Review : Melancholy of Innocence

Title : Melancholy of Innocence

Author : Raj Doctor

Publisher : Frog Books

ISBN : 978-93-81115-05-3

Melancholy of Innocence by Raj Doctor is a passionate love story of Umit who barely made his presence felt in the teen years and a beautiful girl Masum who happens to be eight years elder to Umit. The story is told in a flashback set in late 1920s in Istanbul against the backdrop of post political revolution that led to Turkish independence.

Umit finds a connection of 'Ruh' with Masum and obsessively follows his soul's inner voice. He does find a way to be with Masum and to show his pure feelings to her. Gradually their love blossoms and they decide to seal it with signature of permanence. But are they able to successfully do it and where does Umit find himself thirty years from the time he first set his eyes on Masum? And why is there melancholiness in this love saga?

A couple of sub stories are also added to the narrative, for instance that of Masum's brother and his relationship with his friend but these subplots neither help the main plot move forward nor bring in any freshness to it, hence are complete waste.

The story began quite promisingly and I liked the introspective philosophy sections that appeared in bits and pieces in between the narrative but then the mundane day to day activities were dealt in such elaborate details that it started becoming very drab and a mere chore to read through. I did read through the whole book because I was expecting a great climax at the end when Umit returns to the present time but then the climax and the conclusion were very weak and very naively handled.

The narration is beautifully peppered with philosophy and poetry, a unique style adopted by the author. The poetry is worth reading and pondering upon. However, as the story progresses, the philosophy part lingers on a little too longer than can be easily savored.

There are plenty of editing errors that the whole story suffers from. I always maintain that a tight editing is a must to have a presentable piece of writing and if a book falters on that account, it becomes a big put off.

However, the book is still not a complete wash out as the commentary on human moralities and human frailties, is interesting to read but the absence of a strong plot is sorely felt all through the story.