the gift – That Madras Mom

BLURB:

“Detailed observations of human behaviour and the complexity of human relationships…” – The Hindu After his bitter break-up with girlfriend Ishika, Aarav heads for his ancestral house in Mussoorie to get over his grief and to finish the novel he is working on. He meets Kishan, a child who has strayed into the house and spends his nights in the dusty, dark attic, scavenging through old books and toys that once belonged to Aarav and his cousins. Aarav finds his uncle’s diary, which chronicles a heart-warming love story unfolding in that house. What life-changing family secret does Aarav uncover?

MY REVIEW:

The book is the first one in “it’s all about love series’ by Sourabh Mukherjee. The plot starts with Aarav and his girlfriend getting to know that they are having a baby. This good news doesn’t seem like one for him, he currently has a deadline and is quite unsure of the time the two pink lines came up for Ishika. She storms out of the apartment knowing that Aarav is not happy with the little one coming and decides to leave him.

Aarav having a deadline to submit a novel is being pressurized by the publishing house. So in order to get a clear mind and to complete his work, he moves to Mussoorie to his ancestral house in Dehradun. He’s being welcomed by Mrs. Bakshi, the caretaker. She introduces him to a small kid, Kishan. One immediate look at him, Aarav is suspicious and starts looking for answers on his whereabouts. He realizes that the boy resembles someone who was close to him. He then starts to read his uncle’s diary which was left incomplete since the last time he visited.

It is only while reading it there comes an intertwined love story and the mystery behind Kishan’s existence. A lovable tale which makes you want to read the next book in the series.

Though the book is small about 28 pages, the tale is interesting and gives you a good feeling.

The writing style is simple and clear. The plot is interesting, where the intertwined story that unfolds gives the protagonist a thought and to change his mind. Characterizations are good while the main focus is only on Aarav, the author does justice to the other characters as well.

The climax is something that is quite unexpected, but to come to know the fact why it was portrayed that way is truly remarkable.

BOOK DETAILS: