2011 - 2022
11 years
That's how long Novoneel Chakraborty took to write a sequel to the 2nd book of his life - That Kiss in the Rain. This much awaited & talked about sequel, titled, A Thousand Kisses Deep, picks up from where the first story ended and goes deep into Haasil, Swadha, Palki, and Pallavi's life, as it stands today. Before I start talking in-depth, let's see what the blurb has to say...
About the Book: Humiliatingly rejected by Haasil, even after she thought she had him, Pallavi sets forth on a self-destructive path, seeking one life-thrill after the other. All she desires is to heal the wounds that haunt her every move, not allowing her to be herself. Neither can she forget Haasil nor can she reach him any more. That is, until she meets . . . Palki, Haasil's ex-wife who is presumed dead by the world. Talking to Palki, Pallavi realizes she has found the ultimate weapon to destroy Haasil: the one man who changed her life and persona forever. She plans a deadly set of events that catch Haasil, Palki and his current love, Swadha, unaware. As the dice of destiny is rolled, the question looms: will Pallavi destroy Haasil irreversibly using his once true love, Palki, or will she, for once, come to terms with her deep love for him? A Thousand Kisses Deep is an emotional whirlwind depicting modern layered relationships, lost love and how, sometimes, destiny's plans are quite contrary to what we have been coveting all our life. As Haasil, Pallavi, Palki and Swadha go about life seeking their personal answers and solace, they realize love, after all, is still not done with any of them . . .
I'd have to be frank here, before even picking up the sequel, I had to go back and re-read That Kiss in the Rain to even remember what the characters were upto (a decade is a long time, after all) and I'm glad that I did. I read both the books back to back and I'm glad that I did. I re-read my review of That Kiss in the Rain before starting this review and I'M GLAD THAT I DID.
My views about the previous book hasn't changed much (or at all) since the first time I read it BUT I had seriously high-hopes from the sequel. And I must admit, Chakraborty didn't disappoint. He merged the story of yester-year and gave it a new spin with his current way of writing, making it a beautiful read.
Among the returning 4 main characters, Haasil Swadha and Palki have undergone a massive transformation over the years which is both exciting and heartwarming to know. However, my favorite remains the same - Pallavi. In her own words, "you can only beat Pallavi if you have her permission" and she stands by it even today.
Coming to the story, well, for me, this book was a result of an unfinished business left back in time (oh c'mon, I know you're thinking about Pallavi's revenge over Haasil after what happened in the previous book as you read this line) which Chakraborty finally found the heart to do. As an ardent reader of each of his works for, again, a decade now, it seemed fitting to me.
The book answers every single question that the readers had. It touches every aspect of what he's been talking and hearing about in all his reader interactions over the years. This book is dedicated to his readers and it shows. So, for me, commenting on the quality of the book would be a blasphemy. It is you who should take out the time, read the book, and see for yourself if this is what you've been asking for all these years or not.
For me, however, this book is a closure. This book marks a new journey. This book gives hope...
To, "I love you because you do to my life what I would've done had it been under my control.."
To, being a human diary..
To, more books from Novoneel...
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