BOOK REVIEW: A SIMPLE STORY DELVING INTO COMPLEX CONTEMPORARY LOVE ISSUES

Chirdeep Malhotra . Updated: 8/22/2018 7:33:18 PM Books and Authors

Book: Lovestruck Author: Prasupta Roy


The India of the 21st century is a different India. The present tech-savvy generation has a lot more to experiment in relationships than the previous generation. Apart from conventional marriages, youngsters today are experimenting with monoamorous live-in relationships, polyamory, and also with different distinct and overlapping sexualities. However, the problems for them are not much different, as the Indian patriarchal mindset has remained the same. The stress of modern high tech life also has led to more troubled marriages, extramarital affairs and rising divorce rates. The author Prasupta Roy comes up with the book “Lovestruck”, which takes up such diverse issues in immersive detail and is also a fascinating take on the musings of love birds and loving hearts in the modern world.
The storyline follows the protagonist Kaatyaani who works as an English teacher in a school. She has high ambitions of excelling in her field and finds her job challenging and rewarding. But life takes a different turn when she marries Hemant. She now has only one wish- to become a mother, as she thinks that a baby will fill the void in her life. However, she is not able to conceive even after six years of marriage. And amidst the turmoil when her life seems meaningless, she meets Siddharth, a tall and handsome man in his mid-thirties. In him, she finds her ideal man, her soul mate. However, she can’t think of leaving Hemant as she wants to remain loyal to him. Amidst all this, the story throws other twists and turns. Kaatyaani’s heart craves for Siddharth while her mind demands fidelity. What will happen in the lives of Kaatyaani, Hemant and Siddharth? In this tussle between the heart and mind, will the heart win or the mind? The storyline then goes on to answer these questions.
The book cover is simple, yet fascinating as it shows two paper pins entwined with each other and one paper pin aloof, and portrays the love dynamics of the story very well. The writing style is not much appealing and adroit editing also needs to be done at places, as the editing glitches hamper the brisk pace of the otherwise electrifying narrative. The sentence formation could also have been better. Also, some instances in the story are not much well researched, and these include the parts where issues of divorce and marriage after divorce have been delved into. However, despite all this, the narrative is absorbing and packs an emotional punch, as the characters and the emotional complexities that the author delves into are the heart of this book.
The merit of this book is that it has a plain sailing story, without much of glitzy romp. Also, the author needs to be commended for taking up issues of infertility, troubled marriages, extramarital affairs, and patriarchy in her debut book. The characters are also etched well, though the premise of the story and its literary deftness could have been better contrived. It should be read by people who want to read a book with a simple story, though with excellent portrayals of the complexities of modern marital life and the explicit renderings of extramarital affairs.


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