Let me go by Shriram Iyer: a review

There are certain books which as a reader, entices you enough to pick them up. Especially when they come from one of your favourite and close to the heart publisher, you surely do pick them up. Let me go by Shriram Iyer is one such book and truth be told, I have been delaying reading this book for reasons unknown for quite some time. Finally when I actually sat with this book, I finished it in one go. What makes the book all so special? Its tagline: To friendship… With love. Here's what the back cover says for you to understand more about the book.

According to the back cover: When Anshuman Kale first meets Indira Kelkar, all it takes to bring them close is a lost school bag, a missed school bus leading to a walk back home, and a few cutlets to beat the after school hunger. As the now best friends grow up together, there is nothing that can come between their friendship. Or so they think! At the climax of their teenage years, as Indira falls in love with a guy five years older, she finds herself caught between friendship and love- neither of which she can let go. But as their lives begin to take a turn- for good, for bad, and for the worse- Anshuman is forced to rethink one of the things he had considered a given: 'he and Indira would be best of friends forever.’ Now estranged for years, Anshuman is looking forward to marrying the love of his life, while Indira is waiting to hear back on her euthanasia appeal. What could have gone so wrong that she wants to end her life? As their lives intersect once again, how far will Anshuman go for Indira?

While typing out the blurb for you guys, trust me when I say that I have goosebumps. The whole story came back to me and I am trying 100% to control my tears or my smiles right now. And why not? Friendship is one of the most sacred of relationships that one can be in their lives and there are very few people who have the same best friend from their life to their deathbed. While certain friendships are hard to understand and interpret by the common man who are everyday around you, those feelings are only yours to keep.

Anshuman and Indira: best friends since school (or rather from the time Anshuman’s family came over to Indira’s house to stay as a tenant) have been inseparable. The fact that they lived in the same house and went to the same class, same school and ended up having the same friends made them even more closer. Through the years of their togetherness and how they grew up, they shared everything and by everything I mean EVERYTHING. From Indira’s mountaineering habit to Anshuman's new ride. And then Indira meets Kapil. Rest, as they say, is history.

In a perfect situation like this, it is very natural for things to go haywire. As they usually do in our real life. The story flow and what goes on in the story is so similar to real life that at times you might think that you would surely know a Anshuman or a Indira in your lives. Kudos to the author for making it possible. The writing style of the author is beautiful and so is the representation of the characters.

Talking about the characters: how I hated Indira and loved Anshuman. I cannot even explain. Alisha and Kapil were the two other characters for whom I had a mixed bag of feelings and I'll sure the author wanted that to be this way. Incorporating the title of the book in such a way was a beautiful exception in the book which I really liked. The ending… the ending is tear and smile invoking and I can guarantee that this book is here to stay. The story remains with you long after you're done reading the book.

Now the cons of the book. To begin with, I didn't much like the cover of the book and felt that something more could be done. In the market when there's so many other books and this book being such a wonderful storyline, the cover might make this book unnoticed by the many who would've loved it if noticed. Next, I felt that the character of Alisha was not too well formed. Understanding the fact that it is essentially Anshuman and Indira, Kapil was a much more well made character than Alisha. Also, Indira’s euthanasia appeal didn't have that much impact. All in all, this book was a 4.5 out of 5 for me and I'm so looking forward to so many more books from the author.