Monday, June 10, 2013

Book Review: When Strangers Meet..

"When Strangers Meet" by K. Hari Kumar is a story of three characters from different strata of society who meet in a resting room of a metro station and life takes them towards a different direction from the one they were already charting for themselves. All this and more is aptly described in the cover page. The cover page is catchy - no doubt - and will be one of the key reasons towards the sale of the book. But the cover page and the information provided in the back page reveals a lot more than is needed (I feel). It encapsulates the story along with the climax (if you read between the lines). Maybe, the author wants the reader to know a lot more and then start reading the story.


Target Audience:
1. Readers who like light hearted, bollywoodish novels
2. Readers who want to read a different type of narrating style
3. Maths haters anyone? You might just enjoy this..

Plot: The reader is introduced to a boy, Jai, who's least interested in Maths and would do anything to get away from the subject. His dad is a Mathematics professor who wants his son to be like him. It reaches a stage where Jai could not take more pressure and decided to run away from his home in search of his dreams. You are also introduced to Hussain, who's a devout Muslim, runs a tea stall and believes in doing good for the people but is finding it difficult to make ends meet. He wins a lottery and is on his way to the lottery office. Hussain and Jai meet in the resting room of a Metro station since there's an accident that took place which ensures that their respective plans are delayed by a few hours. A stranger approaches Jai and immediately strikes up a conversation. Jai, initially hesitant to listen and be a part of the conversation, suddenly starts liking it as the story is very similar to his present life. "Amazing things happen when strangers meet" - is what the author claims. The book validates his claim.

Writing: If I tell you that that author has written a 3rd person account of two characters in the book, I'll be right. If I tell you that the author has written a 1st person account of the third character in the book, I'll be right again. This way of writing makes it a fun read. Also, all the three protagonists are important to the plot. And their plots are interconnected as both Hussain and Jai learn a lot from the stranger and in-turn learn a lot from each other. The author has ensured that the plots are closely knit. By and large, the book seemed to be error free. But there are some sections with multiple spelling and grammatical errors. It feels like the proof reader did not completely read the book and instead concentrated on some sections and ignored the rest.

Overall, the book is a light-hearted and fun read. Simple and straightforward story with an interesting twist in the end. Read it, enjoy it, cherish it..

My Rating: 3 / 5

16 comments:

  1. Seems interesting. Thanks for the review.

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  2. A very good review and yes :D I used to hate math :D will pick this book soon then :D

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    1. Thanks Ramya. Am sure you will like the book.

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  3. Seems like an exciting bollywood plot. The narration too seems quite interesting.

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    1. Yes. The plot has a bollywood feel to it..

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  4. Thank you for the review :) I am glad you enjoyed it.

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    1. Congratulations on a wonderful debut novel :)

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  5. Thats great Ashwini. Am sure you will enjoy it too.. :)

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  6. I guess, the cover reveals a little more than what generally books do. But this can be good thing in a way that, people might be forced to think as to what this contains. For me the catch was this tagline at the top, "Sometimes what is takes is a stranger's tale to bring your life back on track..." I completely agree with this line, "Amazing things happen when strangers meet"...:)

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    1. True Prashanth. Its more of a marketing ploy to reveal a lot through the book as people purchase the book by going through the cover and the excerpt at the back of the cover.

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  7. Seems like a good book. At least the title and coverpage is catchy.

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    1. Thanks doctor.. I am sure you will like it too..

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  8. Seems like a good book. At least the title and coverpage is catchy.

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All yours..

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