In the colors of a wide range, the abstract features of the
characters in the cover would only make sense to the readers once they are done
with the book. Harkeerat Anand’s debut book An Affair to Remember is surely one
of those books which gives you the most unexpected thing as you turn the pages
of the book.
According to the blurb- Filled
with cheesy motivational posters, computer workstations crammed side by side,
dumb bosses/blondes and bored employees looking for a career change- ABCDEF
Corp., a software giant, rankles with a sameness of a suffocating software
giant’s existence. Until one man and his best friend take things into their
hands. What follows is a series of misadventures, flushing both men down a
pink-caked urinal of self destruction. Set in a city that once was, in an IT
giant that once was, the two men journey through a cobweb of friendship,
ambition, embezzlement, crime and most importantly, love. Will they survive
ABCDEF Corp.? More so, will ABCDEF Corp. survive them? Peppy, wild and bitterly
sarcastic, An Affair to Remember! Is a modern-day retelling of a decades-old
classic.
When I talk about the first impression I had when I held the
book I must tell you that I didn’t have that high expectations. After reading
the blurb, I felt that this book can be the old food in a different platter and
the beginning scenes actually made me feel that my instinct was right. The
first half of the book was very common, showing the life of two friends and
their lives.
The characterizations, according to me were done very
nicely. It gave the readers a feel of realism and that is needed in every
story. The situations the characters go through and their mind frame at certain
time frames are very nicely described. Though I felt there were very abstract
‘not much needed’ characters, nonetheless it went on to be clear at a later
phase.
Coming to the story, well; it’s tough to describe. The first
two parts of the story were ‘normal’ and too peppy and wild which might leave
the readers with an urge to ‘not-read’ the book. But to those readers who keep
holding the book and reading it, I can guarantee that they are in for a special
surprise as the book nears its end.
The readers might feel that the book has been written in
abstracts as it seems that it has been written in bits and parts starting and
ending all so suddenly. As we get towards the middle of the book, there is a
sudden rush between the characters and that gears the readers up for a treat.
As the end comes, the climax to be specific, the readers are left awestruck.
The authoress leaves subtle hints throughout the book but it’s only at the end
that we understand what we have missed.
The flaws of the book were a few. The descriptions could’ve
been written in a better way. The first part could’ve been written in a more
engaging way giving more hints that has already been given about what the end
is going to be. Apart from that, there were a few grammatical errors also.
Some characters came and went without any such role and things like this might be a flaw for the book. For me, I would like to rate it 3.25 out of 5 with an applause for attempting such a type of story.
Some characters came and went without any such role and things like this might be a flaw for the book. For me, I would like to rate it 3.25 out of 5 with an applause for attempting such a type of story.
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