Digi's Blog

This novel traces the story of Neil and Gauri. Then there is also another couple comprising of Drishti and Somesh. Then there are various other friends called Tom, Jerry, Antriksha, Mehr, James, etc. There is something in the plot about Drishti being allegedly kidnapped, and Neil being framed for it. Get a hint? No right? Neither did I when I read this synopsis on the back cover of the novel. However, I was optimistic that the novel will provide a clearer picture compared to the vague synopsis. WRITING Aravind Parashar’s writing is good, though not extraordinarily brilliant. It is basic English language. One good thing is he doesn’t attempt to add fancy words and make his sentences sound like they have been framed using a thesaurus. His language is as simple as it can get. And so, the book is easy on the mind. It is neither too heavy nor too complex. Writing style wise, Parashar tries to create an abstract pattern by using flashbacks and then coming back to the pr...

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 E...

This was a novel which attracted me from its title. “MY FATHER IS A HERO” seemed a promising title and a quick glance at the synopsis said that it would deliver too. And so I started reading it. Unlike many books which I usually finish in a single sitting, this book took time. I used to read portions of it, allowing whatever I had read to seep in. Here is a review of the novel. PLOT Vaibhav Kulkarni has a decent job as systems admin at a company where he manages to earn just okay. With a troubled past & a divorce, he lives along with his ten year old daughter Nisha who is the centre of his world. Nisha is that little child who excels in everything – be it academics, personality or extra-curricular activities including singing. She is the favorite of her teachers as well as her dad. But all of a sudden, something happens which has a huge impact on Nisha. She suddenly starts drifting apart, remaining aloof, gradually showing a drop in her school grades, behavi...

Few years ago, one man wrote a book on three IIT college students and their misadventures. Little did he know that his book would become an overnight rage, attain cult status in the coming years and initiate hundreds of mediocre so called writers to publish their own novel along with their banking / engineering / IT profession? And so in the last few years, we have been tortured with numerous novels which describe college life, love stories during college life, stories about friends and how they encounter troubles. Most of the so called authors failed miserably in coming up with good novels. Infact many of them were downright horrible. THANKFULLY, Manav Vigg presents to us a novel which breaks free of all the above said clichés. “CONFUSED BASTARDS” is indeed a unique title. My wife saw the novel and remarked, “What sorts of books are you reading?” However after I finished reading the book, I felt the title was pretty apt. PLOT Confused bastards starts from wh...