Lullaby

 

Falling in love is easy. Beautiful.

And blissful.

Universe

 

We are the tiny specks of this universe. Isn't it, then, obvious that we are influenced by the ever changing dynamics of this vast uncharted space?

With You

 

How do you explain the feeling of love? You can't.

It's simply meant to be lived and cherished. Isn't it?

Lost In Love - Review

Neil had many questions related to his life. Having suffered a total eclipse of the heart, dumped by Arya, he had nowhere to go. He was completely shattered. Till one fine day, when his friend Gauri, who had a crush on Neil ever since her childhood, comes into his life and they begin their journey of love, romance, fantasy and fairy tales. 
Not for long, as their world comes crashing with a tragic, life-turning event. This is a heart-wrenching romance thriller that is bound to move you and hit your soul as you take a plunge and get Lost in Love.

About The Author
Arvind Parashar is a bestselling author of two books, and a well-known motivational speaker.

‘Lost In Love’ is the second part of the ‘Messed Up’ Trilogy. Since I had not read the first book of the series, I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to follow up with the plot. However, the good thing is that you can take it up both as a continuation and a separate book, the latter working well for me.

The ‘Messed Up’ trilogy belongs to the genre of romantic thriller, something that is always a delight to read, and equally difficult to execute. While many authors have done justice to this genre, a larger number has disappointed, trying to establish a plot, but then falling prey to the clichés. To which category, then, would I place ‘Lost In Love’?

The book starts on a highly expectant note for me. Gauri, live-in partner and girlfriend of Neil, goes missing one fine day, and our protagonist Neil is caught in the midst of the investigation. He is questioned, fingers are pointed, and the story looks promising. At this point of time, I couldn’t avoid comparison with Gilian Flynn’s masterpiece ‘Gone Girl’, and was eager to turn the pages.

However, what could have been a racy and gripping thriller quickly fizzles away. There were some moments of suspense, true. There were a few twists here and there, true. Arvind does have power in his words, true. But what lacked was the most important ingredient of any book – a coherent storyline.

Arvind establishes the plot based on a loose outline. The characters are hazy, and come in and out of the frame. Even the protagonists are not introduced in a proper manner. Neil’s personality remains vague throughout the novel. His feelings are confusing, and his memories of Arya seems unconvincing. His conflicts with Arya don’t help either. The characterization of Gauri, the female lead, is left to readers’ imaginations. There is no description of her nature; the only point being reiterated after every few pages in the novel is that she is a beautiful girl, nothing more. The other characters too fall prey to a seeming lack of identity. They don’t leave much of an impact, and we fail to relate with any of them.  It is like a bunch of Lego blocks that a reader has to arrange to give a proper form to the characters.

Another big disappointment is the poor depiction of intimate scenes. The description is graphical rather than sensual, which proves to be a letdown. There is no art, or literature, and the whole love making scenes turns out to be shallow.

However, credit should be given where it’s due. I have seen a large number of new age authors coming up with books featuring grammatical errors. Arvind, and the editorial team, ensures that there are no lapses on that end. Arvind’s language is crisp, his writing fluent, with hardly any silly errors. If Arvind is able to bind the plot together and weave a stronger storyline in his subsequent novels, he can be a name to reckon with in the literary industry. The author does have the flair; he only needs to execute it well.

The cover of the book is bright and appealing, something that would soothe your senses. Srishti Publications have been nurturing young authors and giving them the platform to showcase their dreams. The onus, now, lies upon the authors to do justice to the stage.

Title: Lost in Love
Authors: Arvind Parashar
Publisher: Srishti Publishers & Distributors
Publication Year: 2018
Language: English
Binding: Paperback
Genre: Fiction, Romance
No. of Pages: 176
Price: Rs 175
My Rating: 3/5

Little Maryam - Review

While giving an acceptance speech for his Nobel Prize nomination, Dr. Saadiq Haider, a renowned gene therapist and professor at Stanford University, receives a phone call that changes his life. Abandoning his duties and responsibilities, Saadiq hurriedly boards a flight bound for India, embarking on a journey that spans thousands of miles and pulls him back into a past Saadiq thought long-buried. Seated next to him on the flight, Anne Miller-an intrepid journalist with a nose for headline news-senses the reclusive genius has a story to tell. During the flight, Anne manages to break through Saadiq's hard exterior and listens, rapt, as he unfurls a tale fraught with love and heartbreak. His story transports Anne back in time to a small, sleepy town nestled in the mountains of northern India, where Saadiq spent his childhood. Through Saadiq's narrative, Anne meets Maryam and witnesses the friendship between Maryam and Saadiq mature into an intense love; a love that is tested when tragedy strikes and the lovers are separated. Try as they might, their devotion is no match against the workings of fate, and the tighter Saadiq and Maryam cling to one another, the faster they slip apart. Now, after two decades of trying to forget his past with alcohol and drug abuse, Saadiq tells Anne that fate has acted again; Maryam is in the hospital, her condition critical. When their plane lands in India, the newfound friends part ways and while Saadiq rushes to Maryam's side, Anne returns to her life, grateful to have met the enigmatic man. Months later, Anne learns that after wrenching Maryam from the indomitable grip of death, Saadiq took her back to America, where they finally married. But, her assumption that the greatest love story she had ever known would end happily is shattered.

About the Author
Hamid runs a successful market research company, providing customer insights to some of biggest names in the industry. He is a voracious reader and has been one for as long as he can remember. He started penning short stories at a very young age, but never thought of writing a full length novel until the idea for Little Maryam popped into his head. He writes as fast as he reads, which is sometimes just a little too fast. Apart from enjoying good books, Hamid is passionate about travel and food. He is sometimes called "the culture connoisseur" by his friends because he loves having long conversations about different cuisines, exotic travel locations, and of course, books. Hamid lives in New Delhi with his wife and two wonderful kids.

When one sees the front cover, with the silhouette of a little girl swinging by a tree, a pre-conceived notion can be formed about the novel. A story of a girl named Maryam, who is playful and fun-loving, and his association with the tree to which the swing is attached, is what I guessed the backdrop to be when I first glanced at this book. This is true in a way, the only addition being the other protagonist of the novel – Saadiq Haider.

Saadiq and Maryam have been in love since the time they first met each other, during their childhood. Maryam was the daughter of Colonel, while Saadiq’s father, Haji, was his gardener. However, the Colonel treated both Haji and Saadiq with dignity, not allowing their different lifestyles affect their bond. When Colonel had gone away for work, Haji had introduced Maryam to Saadiq, so that she could get a companion in her father’s absence. Little had he known that this companionship of childhood would churn out a bond so strong and unforgettable.

Hamid Baig, the author, does a commendable job on his debut. He highlights the friendship between Saadiq and Maryam in vivid colours, as they grow up, remaining loyal and attached to each other. The fact that Maryam belonged to the echelons of higher class didn’t deter Saadiq, who had a modest livelihood. It only instilled in him the desire to work harder and get into the good books of Colonel so that some day he could seek his permission to marry his daughter.

 Saadiq loved Maryam, and cared for her. He grabbed ice-cream from other boys for her, and hit those who teased her. Saadiq and Maryam’s favourite hang out was swinging by the Kalpavriksha (the same tree that is displayed in the cover). They spent hours together, basking in each other’s company, happy and contented.

However, love stories seldom have a smooth path. The story takes a sharp twist, a rather harsh one, and we, the readers are left gasping for breath. We feel pity for Saadiq, and Maryam, but we do believe that things would again be fine for them. The rest of the story is a progression from darkness to the desperate search of light, draped in the hardships and struggle of the lovers, their successes and failures, and Saadiq’s everlasting devotion to the first and only love of his life.

Saadiq as a character develops through each page of the story. He is everywhere, in the stanzas, chapters and even in the readers’ minds. Saadiq isn’t the perfect hero. He has flaws, and there have been instances when I have hated him for his behavior. His successes made him arrogant, and he is rude with others. He hit people due to his own obsession with Maryam, and also tried to play a few tricks using his power. However, when we re-analyze his actions, we find them to be a mere expression of human emotions. Are we not selfish towards our wants and desires? Don’t we like to protect our love and grant all the wishes that he or she might have? Saadiq actually behaved like any of us would, placed in those circumstances, and that’s when we realize that he is a character which isn’t just the author’s figment of imagination, but also could be a real person. Beneath his tough outlook, he has a heart that beats only for Maryam. He is both a lover and a guardian to Maryam, protecting her and her interests. And by the time I reached the last chapter, I realized that Saadiq has a heart of gold, winning us over with his act to safeguard his love’s happiness.

Hamid Baig is fluent in his narrative. He has painted the visuals beautifully, and the chapters flow seamlessly one after the other. None of the events seem stretched or unnecessary. However, there are  a few grammatical glitches which could have been avoided. Also, none of the characters, apart from Saadiq and Maryam leave a lasting impression. Nevertheless, ‘Little Maryam’ by Hamid Baig should be your go-to book this spring. It will reach out to you, enthrall you, and gradually seep within you, so that the characters, Saadiq and Maryam, will keep beating inside you, even after days.

Title: Little Maryam
Authors: Hamid Baig
Publisher: Notion Press, Inc.
Publication Year: 2018
Language: English
Binding: Paperback
Genre: Fiction, Romance
No. of Pages: 296
Price: Rs 225
My Rating: 4/5