Genre: Fantasy fiction/ motivational
Pages: 171
Edition: paperback , kindle (@ Rs. 49)
Publisher: Write India Publishers
Year of publication: 2019
RATING: ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
✢ Want to buy the book ? Buy it here.
The title of the book “That Thing About you” doesn’t give
much away in terms of what the book talks of, but it essentially nudges at the
overview of the story and it hints at the subtle thematic vibes. The major theme
of the book, according to me, was the varied and unprecedented perception of people
we have. It digs at the fact that this whole act of perceiving or gathering experiences
has its effectiveness rooted deep in our own minds. The whereabouts of the “mind”
sort of swims around the whole book to give a feeling of eeriness and suspense. There is also a theme of destiny lingering in the pages, which makes us think as if our fate is crafted by some omnipotent being--all that comes our way has been scripted by some higher power.
Subodh is a regular IT corporate employee who possibly cannot maintain a social front in front of his peers. His instincts are child-like, his display of emotions is raw and uncensored; and he seldom confides with anyone in his close circle. All of a sudden, one fine day he hears a female voice inside his head, who is interested and willing to talk to him. The voice, according to Subodh, is perceived as a figment of his own imagination and he thereby names her ‘Kalpana’. Kalpana seems to know Subodh from top to bottom and inside-out and she says to him “I am everything you want me to be”. This mysterious aide of a voice evokes changes within Subodh, who is childish enough not to differentiate between the improvements and setbacks he was facing. Day by day, he discovers more about this imaginary woman who talks to him whimsically when she desires but not when Subodh needs her the most. Nevertheless, Subodh attaches himself a little too much with her and he starts to believe that he’s schizophrenic… But a much larger truth sort of builds up all throughout the book to make us think as to why this voice was popping in and out of Subodh’s mind and engaging in conversations. This suspense is more or less intact as long as the story proceeds and the story ends extremely captivatingly in an atmosphere of fantasy, mysticism, and curiosity.
The ending of the book was to me, the cherry on top of
the cake. It tied the whole story together in the form of the climactic
situation the readers must have been expecting. The way the book has been written
is nothing too extraordinary, but it does in many ways surpass the writings of
other contemporary authors who have attempted to write in this genre. There are
two plotlines which are competing through the course of the book—one being the
story of Subodh, and the other the mysterious voice of Kalpana which slowly
unfolds to something much more suspenseful and exciting. The descriptions of events
and daily mundane details of Subodh’s life sometimes pushes the plot to a disadvantageous
position, but it soon dissolves before it could lose the interest of the readers.
The two sketches of the plots mentioned earlier is entangled to one another in
a thoughtful way and this further enhances the flavour of the book.
In all, the book deserves to be recommended. The readers who like romance or fantasy genres will certainly accept this book with great enthusiasm. Waiting to come across more titles by this author !
Title: ☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5)
Plot: ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Characterization : ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Writing style: ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/5)
Overall impact: ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Engrossing factor: ☆☆☆ 1/2 (3.5/5)
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