I owed you one – REVIEW

BLURB

Dev Khanna has it all before a mysterious letter shakes the very foundation he has built his life on. With his beliefs challenged, he decides to close the chapter once and for all. I Owed You One is the story of promises and commitments, of triumphs and defeat, and of holding on and letting go.

MY REVIEW:

A female author narrating from the lead character’s POV is something very different. The thought process, the expression of behaviors and emotion from the authors perspective was bang on like that of a male.

Dev Khanna, a chemical engineer based out of Australia is the main character, who is is happily married to his wife Radhika and has an adorable son named Neel. His life is progressing at a steady pace when suddenly he receives a mysterious letter from his hometown in India. The content of the letter and what it changes in lives of many people is what is the story of I owed you one.

He has always questioned his father’s behavior when he was little. He has seen his father ignoring her mother all the time, coming up with excuses like he has too much of work in his office. Dev noticed his mother’s unhappiness though she would never complain about her husband’s attitude. Growing up in such a family where people are not attached, he often feels neglected by his father. This leaves an contrary effect when he grows up.

The mysterious letter from India just acts as a prompt and this is where starts a voyage filled with emotions, anger, anxiety, etc.

The story is written in a subtle manner and each character plays a crucial role in the novel.

This is a must-read novel if you looking for an interesting story with strong characters. The story is imprinted in a very beautiful manner where relationships are given primary importance.

It explores the family relationships and shows how important it is to bond with your children and how it can affect your children when you’re not emotionally involved with him/her.

The narration flowed easily. Also, the switching between past and present is managed well in the book. It’s very smooth, descriptive and has some amazing word play. It’s very rare to find books with good language these days, either the language is too stiff and difficult to understand or it is amateurish. But, in this book, the author has shown her vocabulary skills.

The author conveys the beautiful message of humanity and peaceful coexistence.

MY RATINGS:

Cover- 3.5 stars

Title- 3.5 stars

Blurb- 4 stars

Plot- 3.5 stars

Writing and Presentation- 3 stars

Overall- 3.7 out of 5 stars

Title – I Owed You One

Author – Madhu Vajpayee

Genre – Fiction / Family Life

Publisher – LiFi Publications

ISBN – 978-93-86191-28-1

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Madhu Vajpayee the writer is born somewhere in those hospital corridors where she has spent the last two decades of her life. Witnessing life at such close quarters pushed her to capture the enigma of life in her words and slowly it became her passion. After writing several medical papers and chapters in books, she started her journey in the literary world. Having done her graduation, MBBS from King Georges Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow she went ahead to pursue her post-graduation, MD Clinical Microbiology from AIIMS, New Delhi.

She was a faculty at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi having been associated with diagnosis and management of patients living with HIV/AIDS besides being actively involved with research and teaching. She is now settled in Melbourne, Australia with her family, where she is devoting most of her time to writing, the passion that she couldn’t pursue earlier because of the demands of medical profession and commitment it requires. When not creating stories, Madhu enjoys reading and traveling.