Title : Love is Vodka - A Shot ain't Enough
Author : Amit Shankar
My Take
A fight with my boyfriend gifted me with a good three-hour "please-don't-talk-to-me" time, and that is when I picked up, started and finished this book. Yes, it is a quick and breezy read.
In spite of having a boyfriend, falling in love with her mother's boyfriend Ashwin, getting slapped after her mother discovers about it, packing off and landing up at Ashwin's doorstep, only to get dumped by him - turned out to be a bit too melodramatic for my palate. And not to forget Moon's romantic encounters with Nikhil, Aditya and Gautam, whose presence acts as garnishings to the story. It seemed like the poor protagonist had a life like a maze - you enter, spend some time and then leave.
While the author was working too hard on building the plot, he missed out on a very crucial task of proof reading and editing his book. It is evident from the scattered spelling errors.
Author : Amit Shankar
Publisher : Vitasta
Genre : Fiction
Pages : 203
Price : Rs. 195
A fight with my boyfriend gifted me with a good three-hour "please-don't-talk-to-me" time, and that is when I picked up, started and finished this book. Yes, it is a quick and breezy read.
The protagonist, Moon, is a nineteen year old, confused teenager, born to an Indian mother and a French biological father, who never married her mother or gave Moon the status of a 'daughter', but send expensive gifts to Moon, every now and then. Moon being a love child, was raised by her news anchor mother amidst all glam and glitter. By nineteen, Moon had tasted her share of stardom via modelling assignments. By nineteen, Moon had been in and out of numerous so-called relationships.
Riding a three-hour roller-coaster ride with this extremely confused teenager was indeed a tedious job for me. Her innumerable flings or so-called relations with multiple men before she apparently 'found her true love' is a bit too much to digest. I agree that girls of this age have a rush of hormones which make them go crazy once in awhile, but in Moon's case, the rush was a bit too abnormal.
In spite of having a boyfriend, falling in love with her mother's boyfriend Ashwin, getting slapped after her mother discovers about it, packing off and landing up at Ashwin's doorstep, only to get dumped by him - turned out to be a bit too melodramatic for my palate. And not to forget Moon's romantic encounters with Nikhil, Aditya and Gautam, whose presence acts as garnishings to the story. It seemed like the poor protagonist had a life like a maze - you enter, spend some time and then leave.
Moon's actions and tantrums are flabbergasting at times. She leaves you wondering about her motives throughout the book. The concoction of romance and politics towards the end of the book is very comparable to a cocktail of oil and water. The climax could have been weaved better to create a smoother ending.
The only interesting part of this book is its fast paced writing and the author's ability to write from the POV of a nineteen year old girl.
Rating : 2/5
Verdict : The book is a classic example of stereotyping teenage girls. The author might have come across a character as fascinating to him as the protagonist, but in real life, I wonder how many of us actually know some teenager with characteristics similar to Moon. Her character fails to show any depth, values or growth. This book might provide an excellent script for a Bollywood flick.
Tailpiece : Consumption of vodka leaves you with a hangover, this book fails miserably.
About the Author : Amit Shankar hails from the advertising industry and has authored two titles before this venture - Flight of the Hilsa and Chapter 11. You can learn more about him here.
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thanks t on
ReplyDeletethank you for reviewing my title. much appreciate.
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