July 2017 – Zudin

It intruiged me when I read the blurb that this book is set in United States of America based on Indian people and guess what it is of Young Adult Fiction. So simple that one doesn’t become tired on reading about love. The plots which are based on love never cease to top the bestsellers list and there is quite a frenzy for love stories. It is eventual that the emotion can’t be set aside.

Sandhya Menon’s book alternates between Rishi and Dimple who are the protagonists of the story. The change in the point of view is so exciting that the continuity is explicit and doesn’t stray away leading us to a point where turning the pages of the book becomes an natural ease. The majority of the plot is set in Insomnia Con (a summer web development programme) and beautifully spreads the base for a story wihtout hassle. The book cove could have been better for immediate pciking.

Dimple dreams and breathes programming who aims at winning the Insomnia Con before joining Stanford. She is annoyed at her mother’s thought that she isn’t making her presentable and her neglect to find the I.I.H (Ideal Indian Husband). And thus she reaches Insomnia Con with the dreams of winning it along with meeting her idol Jenny Lindt.

Rishi, who got to join MIT goes to Insomnia Con on the belief that he and Dimple can spend the six weeks time before joining the college on the insistence of his parents thinking that they would be compatible for a long relationship. Dimple who doesn’t seem to know whole fiasco is upset with her parents on setting her to this. Dimple and Rishi are paired to make the protype of the app for the Insomnia Con and did they win the Con and did their relationship workout or fizzled out forms the later part of the story.

The author has to be applauded for including the socio-economic aspects of the American Indians in the plot since it seems to have frimed the story deep into the minds of the readers with a better understand ing. The characters are also well etched with their emotions captured well.

But one cannot deny the fact that somethings were a cliche like Rishi assinged to the team of Dimple and the final climax act which sees to lower the speed of enthusiasm. The setting is superb fun and the flow of the chapters were flawless. The realtionship issues between the protagonist, their friends and parents are caputred well. They show the vulnerabilities of each character and let us realte them with characters we already know. I expect Sandhya Menon to still hone her story for her second novel coming summer 2018 and wish her success.

The story is simple, empathetic and a real page turner, but in the end I felt that there was a dragging in the middle which could have shortened. This is a book that can be perfected in a bollywood movie with its finess and the pleothora of characters involved would sure make for a blockbuster with some finetuning. I would also recommend this book for readers who adore Young Adult fiction and those who want to read a quick story that doesn’t take too much of their time.