While I was writing the review on Goodreads my computer did a double-check and refreshed the page thus, leaving the 500 or so word review in the blank. Thus, I am back here trying to convey my thought in a sort of way that makes sense. This is a book that chronicles Chandni’s life, a girl who is truly alone in this world, her mother dead with a broken heart, her father lost ever since, he left her mother, she is raised by her grandmother who is a matriarch who controls the majority of her life. Chandni is homeschooled and bereft of friends, a forlorn existence that makes her naive and hence, an unreliable narrator. This becomes apparent in the first few pages alone, this is a girl with issues, and those issues haunt her as she makes her way through life.
By all means this is supposed to be an intriguing read, with all the issues it chooses to tackle but, it is also tiresome because of the way the narrator views the world. It leaves me feeling confused most of the time, since, the naivety is surely justified in the book and yet, it offends me so much at the end of the day. The character falls easily into the oft used trope of the sassy main character, and here the author does a good job. Sassy heroines are generally attractive because of their prowess in conversation and this, makes the dialogues worth a read even when the story does not seem to appeal. Her words do create a certain humorous image, what with the fact that her words are littered with literary references and her personal opinions that would make the reading vibrant. However, these literary references become boring because of how often they are used in certain places. Sure, we love to hear you call someone Heathcliff and smile at you, but, after a while, it is a tiring thing, and you wish for a more general approach to humor.
The man in question in the romance, is Taimur, a person who seems obsessed with exposing C to the rest of the world. He questions her immediately and intimidates her on every step of the way. He is also my favorite character I the book by far because of his strait-laced words. I love the way he carries this aura around him, even though at the end I am not completely infatuated with him. We are told of his being “a pagan sex God with golden skin”, a praise that is more cringe inducing that something that sounds like a compliment. However, he comes off as much more than that when it comes to the whole story, making him one of the few characters we can rely in.
The author writes in a whirlwind at times, in a pace that lets us know C’s entire family history in just two pages. Still, she does a g job in not making it a sort of cultural or history lesson and holding our interests in the narrative. The book has certain points which tell us about the culture of the time, but, it never strains the read keeping the pacing intact.
The romance however, does not appeal much to me. The end decision seems to be of the outcome of the circumstances than actual love. The scenes which depict romance in the full are very few in number and mostly, it seems that C pities Taimur and love comes as a reason of that. Taimur himself seems to be enchanted with the girl, but, the passion does not overtake us. You see the chemistry but, it remains criminally underused at the end of the day.
The central conflict is interesting but, too much like a soap opera for my taste, and the whole story seems to be cheesy. However, it should work well for the intended audience and makes a fun read.
A perfect lazy read, you should buy this novella for those empty Sunday afternoons. It won’t keep you busy for too long and will make you feel good too.
Rating – 2.5/5
An angry indian chick 