BOOK REVIEW OF- You Never Know: Sometimes Love Can Drag You Through Hell…
By- Akash Verma
· Paperback: 240 pages
· Publisher: Penguin Random House India (18 September 2017)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 0143441094
· ISBN-13: 978-0143441090
· Product Dimensions: 29 x 20 x 3 cm
THE PLOT IN BRIEF-
There will be times when you feel you have the best relationship, ever There will be times when it will be the worst that has happened to you There will be times when you know you are getting into something terrible; something that will not stop till it destroys you And yet . . . You will be pulled into it so inextricably, unstoppably . . . Dhruv knew Anuradha was his true love. So, despite being married with kids, he still went ahead with their affair. He hid it from his wife and his colleagues. He told lies so he could be with her-it was that amazing! But he couldn’t save himself from the dark secret she was keeping. It pulled him into a vortex of danger so deep that he lost all he had. It happened to him and if you think it can’t happen to you-think again.
THE TITLE-
The title was beautifully plotted. It gives us a hint of love- both from a light and dark side of its view. The context of love and hell portrays the fact that when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter— they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long. A metaphorical meaning of Love develops through the title. It conveys that-However much you wanted someone to want you, there was nothing you could do to make it happen. Whatever you did for them, whatever you gave them, whatever you let them take, it could never be enough. Never enough to be sure. Never enough to satisfy them. Never enough to stop them walking away. Never enough to make them love you
REVIEW OF THE BOOK-
All the three characters’ tells you that Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could.
There were several emotional aspects which were touched upon during the narration of the story. Destiny being the first one, as it clearly says- Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the Universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors.
Love- but from a different perspective as described, Love can be so hauntingly beautiful, waking up past selves that have been wandering aimlessly through the corridors of our soul, for far too long. When someone else can take us from the ghost-town of our inner-selves, to exciting new landscapes, it’s worth the risk, just to feel reborn.
Secrets- Funny how, when you’re about to be given something precious, something you’ve wanted for a long time, you suddenly feel nervous over taking it.
Everyone wants more than anything to be allowed into someone else’s most secret self. Everyone wants to allow someone into their most secret self. Everyone feels so alone inside that their deepest wish is for someone to know their secret being, because then they are alone no longer. Don’t we all long for this? Yet when it’s offered it’s frightening, because you might not live up to the desires of the one who bestows the gift. And frightening because you know that accepting such a gift means you’ll want-perhaps be expected- to offer a similar gift in return. This means giving yourself away. And what’s more frightening than that?
I really loved the way the plot was developed and the way the narration was carried out.
Do order the book from
https://www.amazon.in/You-Never-Know-Sometimes-Through/dp/0143441094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509549169&sr=8-1&keywords=you+never+know+by+akash+verma
RATINGS-
Overall I would like to rate the book 42 on a scale of 50.
4 stars out of 5
1. Originality of the plot and sub plots- 9/10
2. Net emotions in the story- 8/10
3. Usage of words and phrases-8/10
4. The title, cover and the illustration-8/10
5. The net impact on the readers- 9/10
KUDOS TO
Akash Verma is an entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of two internet start-ups in the fashion and food sectors. Prior to this, he was in the corporate sector, in organizations such as Coca-Cola, Big FM and Red FM. His work has taken him across the country and he uses this experience to give context to his stories. He has authored three books till now: It Happened That Night, Three Times Loser and A Broken Man. Akash is currently based out of Gurgaon, India. He is also interested cinema, literature, history and travel.
Reviewed by-
Sayan Basak
Kolkata
