Apr 10, 2020 02:56 AM
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(Updated Apr 12, 2020 09:07 PM)
An unabashed fan, I always look forward to Chetan Bhagat’s novels to quench my never-ending thirst to read. Unfortunately, his last few novels were a let-down for me. The Girl in Room 105 is the latest novel coming from Chetan Bhagat’s stable.
For all those late bloomers, Chetan Bhagat is an Indian author whose qualifications suggest he would be better off in some multinational or a start-up company. Despite everything going for him, he chose to pursue his passion in writing. If the industry lost a good entrepreneur, the world of books gained a suave writer.
My first impression:
Not a catchy title, and that’s not a surprise. Almost all of Bhagat’s novels have uninspired titles. In Chetan Bhagat’s case, the saying holds good, “never go by the cover of the book or its title.
”Author Profile:
His bestselling books are Five Point Someone, One night at the Call Center, and 2 States. There are a few more books that are just about there. Further information of his work can be had from his personal website with the same name.
The Story In a Nutshell:
The idea is to give you a synopsis and, thereby, give you a reason to decide for yourself whether it is worth a read.
Chetan Bhagat skips the trodden path and jumps into the realm of suspense thrillers for a change. That said, old habits die hard and so a generous dose of romance is thrown in for all us desperate and romance starved readers.
‘Chandan Classes’ is a JEE Tuition Centre catering to IIT students. The protagonist, Keshav is an IITian and works as a teacher in the tuition centre. Not satisfied with his job, he tries his luck through LinkedIn, but fails to find a decent job. Keshav hails from an orthodox family. The RSS ideology is strongly ingrained in his father’s psyche, who he is a member of the political outfit. His mother is a homemaker, and doesn’t have much say in the house.
Zara is a colleague of Keshav and is, also, pursuing her Ph.D. She is from a Kashmiri Muslim family and both are in love. Unfortunately, their love story ends in heartache due to their irreconcilable religious beliefs and dogma.
Keshav is unable to come to terms with this setback in love. He yearns for Zara’s company. But, Zara has moved on and finds solace in Raghu’s arms. Raghu is a classmate of Keshav and is more of a geek. There is yet another friend of Keshav called Saurabh and he is also part of the Chandan Classes setup.Keshav repeatedly calls Zara besieging her to come back to him, but to no avail as she doesn’t respond to his overtures. Saurabh tries to help Keshav forget his past love affair and focus on re-building his future.
If you have reached this far, you may as well read the rest.
Keshav loses Zara, who loses her life… and we lose interest in the rest of the story.Raghu is soundly beaten up by some unknown goons and is hospitalised on the day of Zara’s birthday. Keshav knows it is Zara’s birthday, and thinks of greeting her but is hesitant as he realises what her response would be.Keshav dozes off after enjoying a bout of drinks with Sourabh. Early in the morning( read 3 o’clock) , Keshav gets a text message from Zara asking him why he had not wished her. Not surprisingly, Keshav is shocked. But, the shock turns into excitement when he is asked by Zara to come to her room forthwith.
Keshav, along with Saurabh rushes to meet her at the girls’ hostel. After overcoming a few obstacles, he manages to climb a tree close to Zara’s room and slides in through the window. Keshav does not think much of the situation when he finds the room dark and silent. Zara might have fallen asleep waiting for him, he feels. As she does not stir even after his arrival, Keshav touches her forehead. Not only there is no response, Keshav realises that he is caressing a steely cold forehead. Switching on the light, he finds her stone cold dead.
Keshav is shocked and scared beyond his wits. The fact that the woman he loved so dearly is no more and lying dead on her birthday. Saurabh advises Keshav that they should leave everything undisturbed and run away from the scene. However, Keshav is determined to get justice for Zara. Therefore, he informs the police, Raghu, and her parents.
Thus begins a journey of hunting for clues to apprehend the real killer. The story takes a few twists and turns before reaching its logical end.
Should you read this book?
Chetan Bhagat finds himself in uncharted waters, though, largely of his own choosing. The romantic part of the story is its strong point. However, the suspense thriller part is a little tacky. Somehow, this part didn’t jell with me. Maybe, I am expecting too much from a CB novel. I feel Five Point Someone is his best work till date, unless he surprises me with a magnum opus in the future.
Read it, by all means, if you are a diehard CB fan. Read it even if you aren’t one.
mbfarookh ©
