This is not a book I’d read normally. But based on the first chapter Savita Kalhan read at her book launch, I bravely sat down to begin. Soon I found myself racing through the pages and even though I read only just before bedtime, I finished the book in 3 nights, each time, reluctantly closing the book as sleep took over my senses.
In this book, we see the story of Jeevan, who has a normal and regular life in a grammar school and he’s good at studies and doesn’t have any major hang-ups at home or in school. Enter English Lit and a teacher who doesn’t seem to like him. As Jeevan realises that his chances at acing his English Lit wasn’t going according to plan, because he thinks his teacher might be biased, he gets a chance to take revenge on her. You have to read the book to get the rest of the plot because I’m so worried I’d give it away.
What I wanted to share about this book, as a writer and as a reader are the characters and the dialogue. The characters are wonderfully real, fun to be around and I love the camaraderie between Jeevan and his friends. Their differing viewpoints drives Jeevan crazy but also keeps him grounded.
I love the family setting of this story – an Asian family, high-achievers, yet both pragmatic and supportive. I love the friends – old and new Jeevan gets to deal with and a new friend Ree he meets, who seems to be constantly playing devil’s advocate. In fact I’d like to see Book 2 in which Jeevan and Ree are on their own exciting adventure – perhaps another blunder that leads them towards big decisions.
Originally published at Awfully Big Reviews by Chitra Soundar.