BOOK REVIEW - "The storm in my mind… Ami Kolkata and Confessions"

A Novel by Ayaan Basu

About the author -

Ayaan Basu, hailing from the city of joy – Kolkata, is an example of yet another engineer turned author. Needless to say but these people are really flooding the Indian literary market. His first book was a collection of bengali poetries clubbed under the title, “Nasto Cheler Galpo”, which was written during the second year of
his engineering course. Apart from being a striving author, he has a keen interest in music. He had been associated with a Kolkata based band known as “Driftwood” as a singer, composer and guitarist. This versatile young person after having completed his engineering worked with WIPRO for few years and then shifted to Bangalore for professional exposure. Travelling is yet another thing that his creative mind finds solace in. “The storm in my mind…” is his very first novel and so far has it has received a decent response across the nation.

About the book –

1.      THE STORY IN BRIEF -

“The storm in my mind…” is a romance fiction narrated through the point of a view of a person on the final year of his college life and how things complicate at the protagonist’s end as he tries to settle things between him and the girl he loves since school days. The main characters of the book are – ARYAN ROY, his philosophical buddy FAIYAZ KHAN, Aryan’s love- ANUSHKA and KAIRA who is Anushka’s best friend.

The story opens up with Aryan in the final year of his college working as a senior associate in Wipro(a renowned IT company). It was on one fine day as Aryan with his friend Faiyaz after their night shifts were on their way to meet Anushka and Kaira who had been to this city after long, that the author gets into the flashback to narrate his own past and his past with his lady love Anushka.

 Aryan Roy comes across Anushka Banerjee while chatting via Yahoo messenger and in no time they exchange their contact numbers. While hanging out together Aryan comes to meet many of Anushka’s friend and Kaira was one of them. She was distinguished because she was extremely charming and pretty.

Aryan and Anushka’s relation builds steadily as Aryan ends up proposing her one day. But Anushka on the other hand took Aryan as his very good friend and it was then that the line of dispute between them started to gain prominence. While parting Anushka also mentioned to him about a guy she loves. His name was Ronit and was well placed in his career. Rejected by Anushka, Aryan then decided to focus on building his own identity, which he thought could be the way to Anushka’s heart.

Stable career always excites a girl!

Anushka went to Delhi to study law and Aryan with a dejected heart got admitted to engineering course after clearing JEE.

And now after many years she is in the city and decides for a hangout with Aryan. They go to a pub and Anushka gets drunk to the brim. It was while they were returning home in a cab that Anushka misbehaved with Aryan and told him to go away from her. It was like a bolt from the blue for Aryan.

He was in state of utter shock when Kaira comes to the rescue. She tells Aryan about Anushka’s affair with Ronit and that they were preparing for marriage. Kaira tells Aryan to move ahead because Anushka will never understand his feelings. In that state of distress Kaira’s presence was the only element of pleasure in his life. She was like that first drop of rain on a draught hit land.\

With time they come close and Kaira’s elegance perfectly fitted into the seclusion and morose in Aryan’s heart. Aryan started feeling for her and one day he proposed. Kaira then informs him about her dented past. She tells him about her relation with her boyfriend and also states that she isn’t a virgin. They had been in a casual relationship for many years and it has just been few days that Kaira broke up with his boyfriend, knowing that he was having an affair.

Aryan despite knowing all this overlooked Kaira’s past and decided to initiate a new relationship with her for two main reasons. One – Aryan loved the way Kaira cared. Two – He wanted to take revenge from Anushka by dating her best friend.

They were going good till one day Anushka once again appeared in the picture and informed Aryan about Kaira’s unethical activities. She informs him about Kaira’s one night stands she had after clubbing late into the night in Delhi during her training for the Air Hostess in Xeon airlines. Anushka also informs that she had broken up the engagement with Ronit and that she wants to return back to Aryan’s life.
…but it was all too late…betrayed Aryan had lost all faith in LOVE.

The story ends with Aryan progressing in his career as LOVE remains in his mind as something not belonging to him.

2.      THINGS YOU WILL ‘LOVE’ ABOUT THIS BOOK –

1.     The plot is fast moving and the language is simple beyond requirement. It will hitch the attention of non-readers too.

2.     The cover page of the book carries a vintage look. Hence appears quiet catchy and raises one’s curiosity.

3.     I feel this book will connect well with people who have struggled in love during their college days.

  

3.      THINGS THAT WILL ‘DISAPPOINT’ YOU –

1.     The plot appeared NO DIFFERNT to me. Boy meeting girl over the web. Falling in love. Parting. Heartbroken scenarios. Patching up again. And then ending on no man’s land.

2.     The novel is themed in Kolkata and I personally belonging from Kolkata felt that Kolkata could have been portrayed in a much better way that what has been done. The author focussed more on roads, restaurants and traffic jams than things that actually define Kolkata. Historical places in Kolkata. Its festivals. People’s affinity for books. Tagore. Sports. The sunset at Princep Ghat. Etc.
All these things could have been mentioned. The city backdrop of the book would have looked more prominent.

3.     The author needs to focus a bit on scene development. He should allow readers to soak themselves in the emotions of a particular scene before moving to another. At places I found the protagonist (ARYAN ROY) crying and in the very next line I find the protagonist walking home as the chapter concludes. Detailed description of a particular scene was missing.

4.     The conclusion could have been better. In the middle of the book Aryan was a very vindictive person, who by falling in love with Kaira wanted to seek revenge from Anushka. How come the same revengeful person at the end of the book becomes a wet cat and leaves things to destiny??

5.     And lastly it is my sincere request to the editorial team of Srishti Publishers to do their homework properly. The book carries a dozen of spelling errors and few grammatical mistakes too.

Rating – I would rate this book 3 out of 5.

I wish Ayaan all the very best for his future books. J

Reviewed by - Sobhan Pramanik