BOOK REVIEW : FINDING JULIET

Writing a story about college life and romance has become too commonplace in India since Chetan Bhagat became famous. Every other guy thinks he is a good author and dishes out mediocre or even disgusting stuff which is even gladly published by upcoming publishing houses.

This author prefers to write under the pseudonym “Toffee” (Cringes!) but thankfully, what he serves is definitely sweet and delicious.

As the title suggests, “Finding Juliet” is a coming-of-age story of Arjun, a guy who tastes the bitter taste of heartbreak not once or twice but thrice. Almost dejected and lost, he then meets Krish, who changes his life forever. Along with Krish and his childhood friend Anjali, he becomes a totally changed man. What happens next forms the crux of the book.

LANGUAGE & CONTENT

Toffee’s command over language is impressive. He is frank, to the point and conveys to readers whatever he intends to. It is indeed a pleasure to read a book written by someone whose English is very good.

As far as the content is concerned, I really liked the plot and its different aspects. As the synopsis of the book proclaims, this book is meant to cater to India’s generation Y. and I felt that the book very much does that.

The way Toffee shows Arjun dealing with new romances and then heartbreak, is done very well. Infact, all three romantic tracks are very convincing and fresh and easily relatable. They evoke a lot of nostalgia and some bitter – sweet memories of our own college life.

POSITIVES

As I mentioned above, a strong plus point of the novel is the three romantic tracks. Each one has its own charm and feel. Also, the way Toffee describes each track is good. The treatment isn’t at all superficial. He gets you involved in each track, and that is a really commendable thing.

Secondly, Arjun’s characterization is superb. His journey from the beginning of the book till the end is shown very nicely. One gets a chance to love him at times, despise him at times, sympathize with him at times and ultimately root for him at times. This is a victory on the author’s part for having created such a lovely and relatable character.

However, for me, the BEST thing about the entire book was Anjali. There are friends, there are crushes, there are girlfriends and then there is that one person who is above all of these. It didn’t take a genius mind to figure out what would happen in the end of the book. Right from page 1, I knew how the book would end. But I was interested in knowing how the author reaches that end. And believe me, I loved the end. It was filmy but I loved it. Maybe it reminded me of someone.

NEGATIVES

That said, the book isn’t without its share of minuses. I felt that in each track, the female characters are shown to behave in a very silly manner. Also, affairs take a centrestage, which I didn’t like too much.

Secondly and most importantly, the way Arjun becomes a womanizer in the second half of the book is too over the top. I mean, there is a limit to everything, however relevant it might be in today’s world. But five girls is a bit too much. Plus, the author describes each encounter in quite an elaborate manner. And that according to me was unnecessary. Subtleness is always more effective. But here, for a while I felt as if I was reading some erotic novel.

See, there is nothing wrong in that. Since decades, erotica has been a popular genre. But here, it confuses us as to what really is the genre of the book.

OVERALL, “Finding Juliet” is a good breezy read which can be easily finished in a single sitting. The author shows promise in his writing and gives us a very relatable book in today’s times. This one is a must for those who dig college romance. But a word of caution! Things do get spicy and erotic somewhere down the middle.

And dear author, please get a newer and better pseudonym. Remember O'Henry?

P.S – I received this book from writersmelon for an honest and unbiased review.