Never Mind Yaar by K. Mathur - A Book Review

Never Mind Yaar by K. Mathur
#BookReview

The title is an attitude - our tendency to feel defeated by the scale and nature of certain problems. Rather than meet them head on, we circumvent them with a sigh and a consoling “never mind, yaar”.

When long time friends Binaifer Desai and Louella D’Costa meet Shalini Dayal at Gyan Shakti College, a true friendship that transcends cultural and religious backgrounds is born. Louella is a Christian, Binaifer, a Parsi and Shalini, a Hindu.

The novel’s main plot line surrounds Shalini who has fallen for an impetuous student activist, Bhagu. Where does his desire to help the less fortunate lead him? The challenges are many - Shalini’s tradition bound family, the couple’s youth and inexperience and the travails of life in Mumbai, a city the girls love but know, is fraught with communal tension.
When I saw this book up for review on blogadda.com, I thought it was going to be a light and interesting read. But, I was sorely disappointed. To begin with, I had great difficulty getting into the story. The story starts with 3 girls, each with a different background meeting each other as they begin their college life. There is a detailed description of the college and college life. The author then moves on and weaves in a political angle into the story. The infamous Mumbai blasts also forms a part of the plot. Then there is a love angle as well. The blurb of the books says about it. I would say, that the author tried to incorporate too many things into the story and as a result, she lost the grip on the story. The book failed to arouse any interest in me.

I didn't find any relevance of the title 'Never Mind Yaar' with the story in the novel. I would say: stay away from the book.

About the Author: (from the cover of the book itself)

Born and brought up in Mumbai, K. Mathur lives with her family in New Zealand

Mathur showcases her unique perspective into her city’s psyche in Never Mind Yaar.

“I’ve always enjoyed my city except when violence has erupted between communities. On the whole people seem to get along fine. We are proud of our own community but accept that others are proud of theirs. The food we eat, the clothes we wear and the languages and dialects we converse in are diverse and most of us say vive la difference. But there’s a handful in every community who are extremely suspicious of those differences.”

“Why is secularism or a different way of doing things such a threat to these people? This issue has disturbed me since the 1980s when I witnessed communal riots in Mumbai. I felt compelled to talk about it in Never Mind Yaar. But first and foremost, the book is a love story and a story of friendship and fun between three young girls from different backgrounds – Hindu, Parsi and Christian – who meet at college.”

This review is a part of the biggest Book Reviews Program. for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books! Thank you Blog adda for giving me the opportunity.