Daughter is a daughter all her life. Son is not?

Even though this blog is dedicated for books I was enough convinced by my own conscience to write this in the last few hours. True, that this article is not related to books but it certainly is a much more heart touching topic to every human being. The thought of writing this was provoked by a story which I came across, a status message of a friend in facebook. So first of all I would like every one of you to go through it.

"A daughter is a daughter till she gets a husband, a son is a son all his Life!" 

Dedicated to all daughters.

A couple made a deal the night of their Marriage to NOT open the door of their room to anybody who comes knocking in the morning for any reason!
In the morning the parents of the husband came & knocked on the door, the husband & the wife were looking at each other & as they agreed before, they didn't open the door. 

After a while the parents of the bride came knocking at the door to check on them, the couple were looking at each other, then the bride dropped a tear & started crying she said: "I cannot keep them knocking & not open the door, I miss them already" 

The husband didn't say anything & he let her open the door for her parents.Years & years passed & the couple had 5 children, the first ones were boys & the 5th was a little girl, when she was born the father was extremely happy that Almighty blessed him with her, & he threw a Huge Party for her in Grand style, people were so amazed with his joy & his happiness that they asked him, why are you so happy with her more than you were before with her older brothers?  

He answered simply: "She is the one who will open the door for me"

Baby girls are the comfort of the eyes of their father!They hold the key to their mother’s hearts!Daughters are really unique.They care for their parents even after they are married.Its rightly said,

"A son is a son till he gets a Wife, a daughter is a daughter all her Life!"

It was indeed a nice story. I was in a hurry to leave the office so I also liked it and set off for the journey back home. But whole through the way my mind was disturbed thinking about what I read. Was that really making any sense!

Daughter is a daughter all her life! Yes, of course. Sons are sons till he gets a wife. True, in most of the cases. But isn’t it ironic that the daughters who remain daughters all their lives are the ones who stop the sons being sons for all their lives! The above story itself is a good example to prove it. Otherwise, a son would never look away or neglect his parents if not for his wife. So, is it his fault that he faces the situation silently in order to protect his marriage and keep the family life a happy one?

There were so many ‘likes’ to the post and comments such as ‘proud to have daughters’, ‘proud to be a daughter’, etc. Somehow I find those comments very funny. Especially in such a story which clearly depicts the harsh behavior of a so called daughter to her in-laws. Can those people really be proud of their selves? I mean just because they have daughters or they are daughters? According to me, you can be a proud parent of a daughter not just because she will be a daughter to you in all her life but also to her in-laws as well. That proves that the daughter is nurtured well, and that you have made her a compassionate woman towards the society, a loving and caring human being to others irrespective of their role and the relationship in her life. As a daughter, we can be proud only if we let our husbands remain the son for his parents all his life. 

Hope everyone understands these simple facts. Learn to put their selves in others’ shoes and act accordingly. Today you may be a proud parent to have a daughter but tomorrow you can be an in-law for another daughter who will make your son dance to her tunes. If the wife in this story became a better child by opening the door for her parents the same time she acts a heartless human by keeping the door locked for her in-laws, making her husband an ungrateful son. A story is not just to look at the outer cover and rejoice but to look deep into and see and understand the actual truth! Hats off to all the real daughters who behave in such a way for their parents to be really proud of them!

Love, Life & A Beer Can!

A simple title which won’t give much of a clue to guess what the story is about. But I would say it’s a book which you would never regret later for spending time to read.

It’s the story of Raj, an ordinary guy, an orphan who was raised by his uncle and aunt. The uniqueness of this novel according to me is that the protagonist is an ordinary boy, unlike the main characters in most of the stories which we read nowadays, who are exceptionally bright to crack exams, and get into top institutes. But Raj neither is gifted with any outstanding talents nor is he bothered to improve such in him. He represents the millions of young boys scattered everywhere around India, fond of cricket and dreams to be a cricketer and a diehard fan of bollywood which makes him wants to become a movie star.

As usual, since childhood he was being compared with the boy of his age next door and the boy being gifted with extraordinary skills makes Raj’s life more miserable. Just like everyone else’s his parents also have high expectations on him to crack the competitive exams and come up with flying colours. But Raj is neither exceptionally bright nor in thirst to improve such outstanding skills in him. In fact, he is least bothered about studies and exams as his heart and soul is committed to the dream of becoming a movie star. And the story starts with the boy landing in Mumbai, to live the dream most of sought after and how he deals with the outcome.  

Even though this is a story of an ordinary guy the book has its own charm to entice the readers. The writing style is very simple, casual and funny. The presentation is very amusing and hilarious that even in the shocking situations you may laugh out loud. More than reading a novel you would feel as if a close friend is updating you about some incidents of his past, the manner of writing is that friendly and natural.

The author excels in describing every incident in a very interesting way and adding up his own opinion at the end. Whole through the story that easy going and the care free style of a teenager’s life was expressed. Often I felt that the story is not just about Raj but represents all the guys, as the story was vibrant in a guy’s point of view about education, girls, love, marriage and their ambitions and dreams. The incidents are quite familiar to all. Raj’s college life is as exciting as it was for us, filled with joy, fun and shocks. The improper English of Shakeel bhai was hilarious and many other characters along with his were added yet with brief introductions which are only important to make the story more lively and intense. The stages of school life and charts of negative and positive points to analyze which girl to propose, the flow charts and different dialogues to explain the situations were quite interesting. 

Most of the times the numerical descriptions were enhancing the effect over the incident and the same time making it even funnier.

“Waking up around 200 people, listening to not so pleasant words from 199 of them….”

“They continued laughing for exactly 3 minutes”

“There was no water in the loo and I had waited for 1 hour and 45 minutes”

The captions on top of the chapters were gripping and the famous Hindi tag lines were going along with them superbly. I find the introduction in FB style prior to every main episode very creative. The characters are introduced along with a hint what to expect in the coming pages stimulating the urge to go further in reading yet confusing us what actually will be the next incident. The mixed agenda of the chapters were successfully woven together so that the reader will have the curiosity to keep on reading and never let you feel as if you are just reading a diary of someone.

The surroundings were not described in detail, but I’m reluctant to point it out as a draw back because the writing style was much into making the story funny and simple than adopting a rich and poetic language. Hindi tag lines were making the story interesting and familiar to all Indian hearts, but if concerned about the world market it obviously would be a draw back as those tag lines won’t make any sense to the international readers and the same feelings won’t be generated.

Overall it’s a wonderful book, a book you can read in one breathe. If you are feeling low and sad I would suggest you to read this book, it will be a very good tonic to ease yourself. Even for the people who dislike reading and find books very boring, this one would be a good entertainment. The novel is a delight to the senses and I guarantee that you will enjoy reading every paragraph of it! 

Ending the note with few lines of the book… it was hard for me to choose what to put as the book was full of funny lines like this.

“We now had to decide on a name. People poured in with their suggestions. The names suggested were sober, like Yuvraj, weird like Rhythm to gross like Yummy. As the name Yummy was suggested by Rondu, we kept it as his nickname. Rondu’s daughter was named ‘Chocolate’ by the way hence the name ‘Yummy’. He had decided that the two would get married and make a wonderful couple – ‘Yummy-Chocolate’.”

Novoneel Chakraborty - Author Interview

An interview with the bestselling author Novoneel Chakraborty, about his first novel... A Thing Beyond Forever... exclusively in Chubby Cheek's Column...

1) Did you always wanted to be a writer?

I suffered a bit while choosing what exactly I wanted to do in life because I was good at many things. But when I started penning short stories for myself, for the first time when I was 20, I knew storytelling was something I can’t do away with.

2) Are you an avid reader? What genre you prefer the most and what is your favorite book?

I’m a choosy reader which doesn’t mean I’m not an avid reader. I read anything with an intriguing plotline. I’m not a genre specific person but I do have an inclination towards thrillers. 

A book is like a person. One learns different things from different people and hence it’s futile to compare and say which one is a favorite of mine. Still, one book that ‘blew my mind off’ when I was in college was ‘The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand.

3) Who are the authors you admire the most, and did any author in particular inspire your writing?

Ayn Rand, Haruki Murakami,  R. K. Narayan, Buddhadev Basu to name a few. 

Nobody inspired me to write but the above mentioned people and few others, instead, introduced me to an ethereal kind of thrill a story can provoke in someone. Perhaps that realization inspired (and still inspires) me to write.

4) What does "writing" mean to you?

Honestly, I love to think. Writing is an eventuality with me. And, also a means to sustain myself so that I can think more and more.

5) A Thing Beyond Forever being your first novel, what was the biggest challenge you faced while writing it?

The biggest challenge for me was to write the story exactly the way I felt about it. 

6) Was it a real struggle to get your first novel published?

I always knew it’ll be tough to get a publisher. I went with the one who responded first with their acceptance of my work.

7) What is your favorite setting to write in? Do you tend to follow a strict work schedule or write in spurts of activity? 

I try to write every day. To be in the ‘writing mode’ is important for me.  Setting wise I always write in a closed room. I can’t write in an open space or in a room with doors and windows open or curtains not drawn. 

8) “A Thing Beyond Forever”, how did you come up with this title for your book, or was it suggested by someone?

The title was coined by me. I wanted a title which gave away the exact texture of what I was talking about in the book. And I thought this title did it better than the ones I had in mind then.

9) When did you start with the plot and how long did it take you to finish writing the novel?

I started plotting and then writing almost a year and a half before it was finally published. 

10) How much is your story inspired by your own experiences?

A bit of it. Some of the character dynamics are inspired from what I have seen in life.

11) In “A Thing Beyond Forever” Which of your characters do you feel more connected to? why?

The character I feel most connected to has to be Radhika because it’s through her eyes I was able to realize the story.

12) One of the main characters in the book is Radhika. Was it hard to get in to the skin of a female character? 

In the beginning I wanted to write the story from the male protagonist’s point of view only. But when I started writing about Radhika she simply ‘took over’. It was hard but creatively fulfilling.

13) Wasn’t it a sudden and unexpected way to end Raen’s life with dengue? Didn’t you feel that his death would have happened in a slower phase or in a different way?

Raen’s death was a major plot point in the story. It had to happen somehow. Dengue was only a tool to make it happen.  I wanted to keep it sudden for the ‘jolt factor’ to be appropriate.

14) Do you feel that you did justice to the character Radhika at the end?

I think so, I did. More than doing justice to a character what matters to me is how I can ‘liberate’ a character by the end of any story.

15) Do you believe in reincarnation? What inspired you to add such theme to the plot? 

People who have read the story, I’m sure will agree,  the reincarnation was not the point of the story, nor its feasibility the theme. I have spoken about reincarnation in the story not from the point of view of the one supposedly reincarnated but from the point of view of someone who was connected to the person before.  This is a rare angle in any reincarnation story. Since I was trying to myself understand if attraction indeed is a missing link between souls, this element was bound to come in the story.

16) How did it feel after receiving the very first feedback from the readers?

I was both elated and humbled.

17) Talking about the feedback since the book launch. How has the overall response been? Was it below or above your expectations? 

I am happy with whatever feedback I have got. I have learnt in life that it’s futile to expect but fruitful to hope. I only hope.

18) Your fans from all over the globe might be sending you their wishes and feedback via facebook & email regularly. Any specific lines from your book that have struck a chord with majority of your readers?

The majority seem to have loved the discourse Radhika has with Sister Melinda in the book about love apart from few other lines and instances.

19) What has been your greatest strength which leads you in all thick and thins of the journey as an author?

That visceral streak in me which never agrees to the norm is, I feel, what keeps me alive as a storyteller.

20) Any advice you would like to give to all the budding authors out there?

We live in a world where every second we are being subjected to illusions and knowingly or otherwise these end up choosing our priorities for us as storytellers. Unfortunately, this ‘relentless attack of illusions on our senses’ corrupts the innate instinct of a storyteller that’s there in all of us. I would only request, and not advise, all the budding authors to protect that instinct of theirs because in the end this will be their best bet to connect to their original voice hidden within them. 

How About A Sin Tonight?

Introducing...

An edge-of-the-seat thriller from the bestselling author of A Thing beyond Forever and That Kiss in the Rain.

How About A Sin Tonight?

Title : How About A Sin Tonight?

Author : Novoneel Chakraborty

ISBN : 9788184000313

Publisher : Random House India

Book Summary :

In the biggest casting coup of the Hindi film industry, five top stars are signed up for a new movie: Shahraan—a living legend still lamenting the loss of his first love; Reva and Neev—newcomers allied in a common journey; Nishani—the celebrity kid who must avenge her father’s untimely death; and Kaash—the actor harbouring a secret love from his past. As their intimately intertwined personal stories take centre stage, the industry’s underbelly is left exposed for all to see. By the time the curtain draws to a close, the gossip-hungry media has enough fodder on its plate to last a lifetime.

Novoneel Chakraborty, bestselling author of A Thing beyond Forever and That Kiss in the Rain, unveils the grime behind the glitz, the insecurities and compromises, in a world where aspirants come prepared to strike a Faustian bargain. A beguiling tale of love, ambition, jealousy, and betrayal, How About a Sin Tonight? will leave you asking for more.

About The Author :

Novoneel Chakraborty is the writer of two national bestselling novels, A Thing beyond Forever and That Kissin the Rain, which have been devoured by thousands all over the country. They have also appeared in numerous bestsellers’ lists at different points in time since their releases. One of his articles, ‘My Mother’, has appeared in a book compilation titled Woman: Many Hues, Many Shades, alongside other veteran Indian authors. A fulltime writer, he has written a story and a screenplay, scheduled to go on the floor soon, for a two-time National Award-winning Bengali filmmaker. He is currently working as a scriptwriter on two Hindi film projects. He also pens ‘NovoSphere’, a popular blog on life and inspiration, featuring one-paragraph stories. Posts of Novo Spherehave featured in various national and international websites.He lives in Mumbai.

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And Then It Rained

Introducing....

And Then It Rained

Title : And Then It Rained : Coz Life Ain't Always a Fairytale

Author : Gaurav Dashputra
ISBN : 9380349572
Publisher : Srishti Publications

Book Summary :

“It’s better to let go of someone who loves you... 

than keeping him in... love with you when you know 

you cannot be with him forever...” 

This is what Aarti had told Aman a night before she left him forever...with nothing but those memories of the rains. 

Rains have always been a part of Aman's happiness..! His first bike ride...his first gold medal...his first kiss... it has rained on every occasion! 

Rains have always been SPECIAL! And he believes that all bad things in his life will come to an end with the rains. 

Nagpur...That is where Aman Sarin has lived all his life. That is where he dreamt that someday he would be the next big thing in Bollywood. 

After moving to Mumbai to pursue his education his life is nothing short of a fairytale...he has what most teenagers want...a great group of friends...the charm and the popularity...and to top it all a hot girlfriend. 

They say life is a vicious circle of sorrow and happiness. So what happens when Aman’s fairytale goes wrong? What makes him the guy whom everyone hates...when once he was the guy everyone adored? 

Will Aman put back the pieces of his life and rise above all else? Will his dream of filling SRK’s shoes ever come true? 

But most importantly for Aman...after a rough summer... Will it Rain Again?

Excerpt from the book...

Bombay Rains 2008

Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Mumbai’s Chatrapati Shivaji

International Airport…the outside temperature is 27 degree

Celsius. We hope you have a pleasant stay in Mumbai…thank you

for choosing Jet Lite.’ The air hostess announced

I was here. Mumbai…I was in Mumbai. The city of dreams…the

business capital of India. A city where more than a thousand people

come every day to fulfill their dreams. Some come here to get a job.

Some come here to make it in movies. Some come here to become

Sachin Tendulkar. Well as for the rest they just come here in search

for a better life. Everybody just wants to make a name for himself.

Everybody just wants to make it big. For some of them their dreams

do get shape and turn into reality. But for the others…what can I

say…I guess Mumbai happens to them. As for me…I was just a guy

who had come here to get his Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and

Surgery. But somewhere within me too there was this boy with stars

in his eyes and a dream that someday I might become the next Shah

Rukh Khan.

I claimed my baggage and hired a taxi and was soon travelling

along the streets of Mumbai. Everything seemed to be so fast here.

Everyone seemed to be in so much of a hurry; speeding vehicles on

the Western Express highway. People running across roads before the

signal turned red again making their way to board those overcrowded

trains which looked as if they would break down anytime. Something

like a traffic jam created such a ruckus amongst people like the world

was coming to an end. Over the years that I have spent in Mumbai I

can describe the city as…yeh sheher me ek apna hi nasha hai. Mumbai

to me is like indigenous liquor. We drink it all in…it may not always

go down smooth…you may love it you may hate it…but once you

are addicted to it…you can’t live without it. I had been born and

brought up in Nagpur where I had lived all my life until now. Nagpur

was a city which ran at its own dilly dally pace; a place where if you

had to meet someone at five you would have to tell that person to be

ready at four. And even if that person did manage to get ready by

four for your meeting and you got late…well who cares…its Nagpur

after all. So the sheer presence of the quick pace of this city thrilled

me.

About the Author :

Gaurav Dashputra is currently completing his medical education from Dr.D.Y.Patil University in Navi Mumbai. Originally from Nagpur where he finished his schooling, he now lives in Mumbai where he plans to settle down. But most of the odds are against that. 

And Then It Rained is his debut novel. He has written two plays for his college festival and is gifted with a great sense of humor and wit which has always helped him be a crowd pleaser. 

Gaurav loves to swim and was a national gold medalist in his school days. He is a huge foodie and loves to eat. He is a huge movie buff and a diehard fan of Bollywood movies. He pretty much watches everything. If you see a mysterious black Santro on the streets of Navi Mumbai post-midnight you can pretty much be sure it’s him. Stop him, ask him to pull over and say hi without hesitation. And if that sounds a little bizarre.


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A Thing Beyond Forever

Finally, after the tiresome weeks of exams and practical records I took a break to read this novel, with the recommendation of a dear friend of mine, Geetu the owner of the book which I borrowed. “A Thing Beyond Forever” by Novoneel Chakraborty, a wonderful book which was powerful enough to shatter the long silence in my blog by urging me to write a review despite the busy schedule with exams. So, here I’m starting, keeping the book aside after reading but my heart heavy with the mixed emotions of sorrow and bliss.

The protagonist, Dr. Radhika Sharma is 29 years old with brownish complexion, cute nose, glistening lips and the sharp curves adorning her body which is always clad in cotton shirts, pants or jeans. She is indeed one of the best among the young doctors and is labeled as an arrogant feminist, because she prefers reading in her free time instead of gossiping, never gave a chance to any male even to propose a date or she is a presumed virgin who spoke her mind. Her prized possession, the diary of Raen Verma, thirteen long years back when he was a teenager. Raen, born as the second son in the family, has always been an obedient child to his parents. To his utter bewilderment, his father gets a transfer which makes them shift to Guwahati in mid June. Changing schools, making new friends and missing Kolkata and the old buddies in an unexpected time is too much for Raen to bear. He starts sharing all his thoughts and memorable moments with his diary friend. As Radhika starts reading the diary, readers are taken back to the past by Raen’s words along with Radhika whose memories mingle with those moments in the diary.

The plot is unique in its own way. The three main characters of the story belong to three age groups, Radhika who is 29 years old, Raen who is then a teenager and small Laye of 9 years. The author has skillfully narrated the story entwining the three age groups at correct phases. Sometimes the story is by the words of a teenager and at times focused on Radhika and her present life. The blend of these two stages, past and the present is simply superb!

It speaks about love, life and commitment and urges us to think beyond the usual frame where our mindsets are trapped in. As humans we are tend to do the things even if we know that it will be painful to go through. The following lines were a wonderful self realization for all.

“Is there any woman in this world who doesn’t know how much pain she needs to absorb in order to develop and later push a life out of her? And is there any woman in this world who, knowing the fact, doesn’t want to give birth, at least once?”

Leave aside the unique plot; it’s the writing style which should be praised more. The language was so poetic and melodious which was soothing the senses. It was quite advanced compared to many 100rs Indian fiction which come out into the stores nowadays. The writer is blessed with the talent to manage a rich vocabulary so smoothly and each incident was vibrant, enriched with beautiful phrases, metaphors and personification. From the very first page I was lost in a beautiful dream and I fell in love with the book by each passing sentence. And it was truly the writing style which made me continue reading other than the plot or the suspense which the story contained. Be it an emotional outbreak or just a daily chores, every incident was described into minute detail in an intense and picturesque manner. The way the author compares the nature with the situations is blissful.

“Every night the moon admires the sky or is it the other way around? It has to be, the other way round. Why else would the darkness increase in the absence of it muse?”

In an era which the authors force the raw sex scenes to their stories in order to get sold, A Thing Beyond Forever is adorned by few intimate scenes which solely depict the true ecstasy and a pure form of love rather than savage or animal lust. In the beginning I was little uncomfortable and disappointed with the swearing words which were constantly repeating at short intervals as I felt it’s a scar to the beautiful and serene language which flows throughout the story. But later when I think back I believe that the swearing words were appearing in the parts of story written by the teenagers words and was doing nothing but making the incidents more realistic and natural.

All in all, I have no enough words to praise the book. It truly is an artistic piece of literature among the modern fiction. I would highly recommend the book to all the readers out there. It’s a book worth sparing your precious time to read.

 “The quality of a song is judged by the number of souls it stirs.” The author once mentioned as such in the novel. I believe it’s same with a book too, his story indeed stirred my soul and I’m sure it’s same with the rest of his readers as well.

Ending the note with few lines from the story, so true yet so bitter. Salute to those beautiful hearts which cherish love even when they know that the reward for every true love is not love!

“But once in love who ever died an emotional virgin? Those who are lucky are simply lucky and those who have been chosen to experience the schizophrenic side of love know their reward, in the end, will only be a shrug from the sacrifices they once made in order to hold on to what was never theirs.”

A Roller Coaster Ride!

A Roller Coaster Ride by Saumil Shrivastava

After a long silence (on my blog), I’m planning to take you all on an adventurous trip with this post i.e. a review of the novel which I enjoyed a lot while reading and which truly deserves the title of the story “A Roller Coaster Ride”, as I’m still feeling dizzy while starting with this article although it was just few hours back that I finished reading that book.

The protagonist, Maddy is a final year B.Tech student from none other than IIT Bombay, one of the most famous, sought after & prestigious institutes of technology in India. Maddy is quite different from his batch mates and seniors as he prefers chatting online with strange girls whom he comes across through Orkut and Yahoo chat and stays away from boozing & hanging out with friends. He begins his story memorizing an impressing and funny incident which happened in the period of Mood Indigo, the IIT Bombay Cultural Festival and the most awaited event of all the guys in IIT of his final year.

Getting placed in one of the best companies, is a tension for any final year student in India and IITians are no different. Despite of being an eight pointer, Maddy wasn’t able to make it to a reputed company which offered a hefty package. It wasn’t that he didn’t work hard or did not prepare well for interviews, but it was all hard luck. As the writer says, “every dog has his day..” finally Maddy got placed as a business analyst in another reputed company. Later on, he confesses his love to Pooja, a girl whom he met on orkut and was dating recently and makes her his first ever girlfriend.

Pooja is an ordinary girl, who is loving and caring. It shows that she was much more attracted to Maddy because of his IIT tag which gives her future, a financial assurance. Everything flows smoothly until Maddy has to settle in Gurgaon for his job and the two lovers are forced to part & live through a long distance relationship. Maddy gets settled in a flat near to his office with four other roommates, Satya, Harsh, Dhananjaya and Kundan. All three except Satya were from IIT Bombay and were placed in the same company.  Unlike his roommates and other colleagues, Maddy is determined to work hard and be successful in his career. He is enthusiastic about his work and is ready to give his best for his first ever project. In the office he meets Divya, a south Indian girl who is quite overweight and average looking. She is a very chirpy and bubbly kind of a girl who attracts the attention of the office crowd and happens to be Maddy’s buddy for the first one month and also the project leader. From their very first meeting Maddy is quite impressed about her smartness and admires her. Office work separates Maddy from his flat mates, which makes them upset and portrays his unfriendly behavior.  As he keeps on putting all his efforts in to the office project,his girlfriend Pooja feels abandoned, neglected and deeply hurt. Even Maddy gets irritated with her behavior which leads into much complications in their long distance affair, whereas Divya proves to be his best friend with her loving, caring and encouraging nature. But the story loses its smoothly flow suddenly, few twists happen which rock Maddy’s love life, friendship & office life and the readers are thrown into a roller coaster ride thereafter.

The story is quite detailed and narrates the various incidents of Maddy’s life in a crisp manner. I really appreciate the description of his interviews and the office life after orientation. Never have I come across such detailed description about office life and I feel this would help lot of teenagers to know how office life is, which is quite different from the college life, which is carefree and full of fun. When project plans, staff meetings, client feedback are just a few out of many things to stress yourself, frequent coffee hours can be relaxing and fun with your colleagues. Throughout the story, friendship and its importance have been highlighted. The behavior and the strong bond created amongst guys when they happen to be roommates is quite vibrant. I would take the opportunity to quote a statement from the book which depicts a wonderful truth of the life.

“There is no soul around who is not going through one or other problem but it all depends on how we take it. Either we can keep cribbing about it or we can focus on doing right thing at the right time. It’s all about how we perceive things.”

“The Charm Lies in Living Life”

Although I loved the story, I was little disappointed with the writing style of the author at certain junctures. The first few chapters were well composed and so were the last ones, but in the middle part of the story, the writing pattern has lost its charm. I felt more like reading a drama script than a novel as it was almost full of dialogues and that too not properly specified who was speaking them. As only half of the dialogues were in inverted commas, it confused me, whether rest of the lines are dialogues or just compact descriptions of the situations. Few very important incidents were lacking necessary description of the emotions & behavior of the characters and were rather covered up with tasteless dialogues which bored me and often urged me to stop reading midway. May be there ware so many details to cage up in limited number of pages that writer preferred to go with the conversations. But according to me, if most of the common dialogues were shortened to descriptions and spiced up with emotions, feelings and the surroundings, then those chapters would have been much more interesting.

But overall I would call this as a good story and rate it 4 out of 5. Especially the last few chapters were quite gripping with their twists & turns which will keep the reader glued with a bout of excitement and curiosity. The way this book ends is quite unpredictable and shocking and while reading, I didn’t even have a faint idea about such a climax. A nice book for one & all and I assure you that it will be a breathless roller coaster ride for everyone, so beware and tighten your seat belts!

Ending this post with a nice line I came across while reading the book that has been borrowed from the famous movie Shawshank Redemption.

“Get busy living or get busy dying!”