BOOK REVIEW OF- You Are Never a Stranger
BY-Surakshit Markanti
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Notion Press, Inc.; 1 edition (20 October 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1946048674
ISBN-13: 978-1946048677
THE Plot IN BRIEF-
Joe is strangled amidst the good and evil in him, while he is on a quest for his own identity. With no memory of his past, he sets out to find his girl and to discover his true identity, despite being confronted by deceiving dreams and Sceptic Company. The complications in Joe’s journey of self-discovery includes Simon Robs, the richest man in the state and Mayan, a friend none desires to have; hid Untold Stories of anguish from him. But did their presence in his life prove to be a boon or a curse? You Are Never a Stranger explores both the battles between Joe’s heart and soul as well as his battles with the strange world outside him.
THE TITLE-
In each of us, two natures are at war – the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them, and one of them must conquer. But in our own hands lies the power to choose – what we want most to be we are. The title itself describes this fact vividly. We are always a stranger to ourselves. Normally we divide the external world into that which we consider to be good or valuable, bad or worthless, or neither. Most of the time these discriminations are incorrect or have little meaning. For example, our habitual way of categorizing people as friends, enemies, and strangers depending on how they make us feel is both incorrect and a great obstacle to developing impartial love for all living beings. Rather than holding so tightly to our discriminations of the external world, it would be much more beneficial if we learned to discriminate between valuable and worthless states of mind. I feel the title is appropriate and maybe it’s not as clear-cut as that. Maybe it’s the very presence of one thing – light or darkness – that necessitates the existence of the other. Think about it, people couldn’t become legendary heroes if they hadn’t first done something to combat darkness. Doctors could do no good if there weren’t diseases for them to treat.
REVIEW OF THE BOOK-
I live with myself every day, but that doesn’t mean I completely know myself internally. Trying to get to know all that is a challenge that will drive you nuts, like trying to achieve the utmost perfection. My heart, my mind and body are ever changing, so I can never really get to know myself fully. It’s similar to a person you’ve never met, even though you may think you know them, you don’t, and never will. It’s almost comforting, that sense of confidentiality that always exists. The author has portrayed the character of Joe very beautifully and at the same time very thrillingly. The contrast between the good and the evil was projected very minutely throughout the entire plot.
I still remember that somewhere I read that Life is similar to a bus ride. The journey begins when we board the bus. We meet people along our way of which some are strangers, some friends and some strangers yet to be friends. There are stops at intervals and people board in. At times some of these people make their presence felt, leave an impact through their grace and beauty on us fellow passengers while on other occasions they remain indifferent. But then it is important for some people to make an exit, to get down and walk the paths they were destined to because if people always made an entrance and never left either for the better or worse, then we would feel suffocated and confused like those people in the bus, the purpose of the journey would lose its essence and the journey altogether would neither be worthwhile nor smooth. This novel is just similar to a bus ride.
The aspect of contrast portrayed in the plot teaches us a great many things and there is purpose for it. Yet it is time to transcend your everyday dramas that are but drops in an ocean. Cease focusing on your droplets of water and look around you. Everything you say and touch and do sets into motion ripples that either heal and create or curse and destroy. Let me repeat: Everything.
The plot takes a twist as Joe meets two persons who “hid untold stories of anguish from him”. See, once again the reference of strangers comes in. There’s an undeniable thrill about meeting a stranger and spending a few hours together, indulging in each other’s lives. It’s that spurt of saying whatever you want and leaving it behind with someone who’ll never look at you and think of it again.
If you want to discover the thrill and finally what happens to Joe, without waiting further order your copies from
YOU SHOULD READ THIS BECAUSE-
THE BEAUTIFUL THRILLING PLOT.
THE ASPECT OF CONTRAST AND STRANGER IN THE ENTIRE STORY.
THE CHARECTARISATION OF JOE
RATINGS-
Overall I would like to rate the book 42 on a scale of 50.
4 stars out of 5
Originality of the plot and sub plots- 9/10
Net emotions in the story- 8/10
Usage of words and phrases-8/10
The title, cover and the illustration-8/10
The net impact on the readers- 9/10
KUDOS TO Surakshit Markanti – It was really a beautiful plot.
Reviewed by-
Sayan Basak
Kolkata
