Name of the Book : Hold My Hand
Author : Dujoy Datta
Genre: YA fluff
Readable: Yes, very much
Can it be made into a movie : Yes, but change the climax
Book Review by Hemant Singh
I can’t tell you how good the English is. I am full fida. The writer has great sentence-formation chops.
However, things end there.
He began with a bang. The first 20-25 pages convinced me that I was reading the next Salman Rushdie.
Before said Salman takes offense, let me clarify.
The writer lost interest. That’s a delightful way of saying he is no storyteller. So much so, he gave a silly title to the work.
The writer lost interest. That’s a delightful way of saying he is no storyteller. So much so, he gave a silly title to the work.
It is so apparent. No plot. No Character development. He even turned a Punjabi kudi into a Bengali shrew.
There are dozens of missed opportunity. He shows a neat freak and a fitness fanatic talk to a club bouncer. Twice. Fits the gay trope fine. And the novel would have flown. But na. Then he has an Afghan character. Our writer doesn’t know any community other than pocha maach. So what does he do? Conveniently, kills her off.
Every character, including the villain, is socially-appropriate. Like over-sweet rosagullas. What was he hoping for? That they will prescribe it for class 7 students. He has straight-jacketed boy-girl and then father-daughter conversation. But in damn good English.
The worst is our hero. Neither a joker nor an intellectual and definitely not a hero. Visualise a tall Johnny Lever mouthing inane hyfy stuff.
This novel fell into my lap. When a woman flung things at me. So I read it. I couldn't throw it back at her coz, one, her husband is a bodybuilder and, second, the writer has exceptionally good command over English. Something I love and don't get enough of. But the story didn’t go anywhere and I sleep-walked through this beautiful maze.
The book commits another crime. Of giving disabled peeps blind hope. It’s like those Telugu movies, where a snake listens to your command and takes revenge after drinking the milk you laid out in a saucer. Sad.
Nonetheless, I am sure the Hong Kong government will be pleased with the book coz he describes the whole city. The road, the shopping places, the eating joints, metro, boats, cable car, temples. You know. And, frankly, hits the bulls-eye, unlike any other travel blog. Boring, but spot-on. The only offense that they may take is when the book, reaching a sort-of literary absurdity apex, show an injured blind girl lying on its street, bleeding, and its citizen continue their existence without batting an eyelid, and the poor thing has to wait for the said hero to arrive a half hour later.
I hope and pray the writer seeks me out so that we can collaborate on a book. I provide the story, he the finishing and the baby-face to sell our book.
Buy the book here...
