Quoted from the blurb:
“A narrative that spans 16 years and four cities, Varun
takes a trip down the memory lane and opens up his world to you, describing the
intricacies of shouldering the burden of expectations his family has on him and
yet coming up triumphant, the importance of having a friend’s shoulder to cry
on when you are down and out and the perks of being a soldier’s son.
Join the emotional
sissy that he calls himself; in his roller coaster ride as he tries to unlock
the eternal mystery that is LOVE. In a romantic relationship that has gone
kaput, with two women who are as different as chalk and cheese, he finally
meets the love of his life.
But do good things come the easy way?
Before that, he has to bear the gut wrenching blows of the
henchmen of a local Corporator, physically assault a senior HR leader in his
company, almost lose his life in Dharavi and then take on the might of a
powerful landlord turned realtor – all though at different stages of his life.
True love is never a one-time event in one’s life. It can
hit you in various forms. ‘Once smitten, twice shy, thrice lucky!’ is a story
that tells you why Love is a perennial feeling, a mixed bag of myriad emotions
no one can ever describe in the true sense.”
I received the book from the author
in exchange for an unbiased review.
The
title of the book and the blurb reveal quite a lot about the book. In that
sense, it can be said that the story seem predictable. But, the way the story unfolds
is where the charm of the book lies. You can safely assume that the author
shares the story of his life where he falls in love 3 times and only the 3rd
time he meets the real love of his life. The book is quite bulky – it has to
be- for the narration span over 16 years. That is quite a time to be covered in
a single book. Plus there are 3 love stories, albeit 2 unsuccessful.
The
book is divided into three phases, each revolving around the 3 different phases
in life. And love happens to him in all the three phases. There are a number of
characters at play. I read the book quite slowly, so I found each one of them
nicely sketched and depicted. It was as if, I could imagine everything in my
mind. At times, it was monotonous – there were unimportant things explained in
detail. Otherwise, there is a lot happening in the book, which keeps the readers
engaged. Lahiri and Sasha were the two characters that stayed with me, even
when I was done with the book. There was something inspiring about these two characters
that made them special to me.
In
the end, I realized that it is not just a love story; there are so many underlying
themes which gel well that make the story entertaining and interesting to read.
While you read this book, you are likely to take a few trips down the memory
lane as there are quite a few things that most of us can relate to.
Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!
