A fastrack love story for firebrands, who don’t seek order amidst chaos, simply because they thrive in chaos

You are never too old to read romantic novels, I firmly believe in this. Romance has the ability to charm you out of your banal surroundings. The Ex Factor is not the compelling romance that Mills & Boon dishes out, it is chick lit on home soil. It takes us into the world of social development, traversing the country from cosmopolitan Delhi and Gurugram to exotic Shillong.

The cover is well designed and the blurb is catchy. The plot is well planned. There are many characters and too much happening at the same time. Every sentence is about a new thought, which isn’t an easy task to put across in a novel.

This isn’t a mushy romance but love between a firebrand hiding wounds and a crushed lover hiding feelings. Oindrilla Roy and Vivek Rao were besties in school in Kolkata, but broke off due to firebrand Oindrilla, or Oinks as she is known, coming to hasty conclusions about Vivek’s loyalty. They meet again as professionals in their mid-20s.

Oindrilla’s move from Kolkata to Delhi, her choice of subjects to graduate in, all have been linked to her break-up with Vivek, who has no clue why she disappeared from his life. She has spent a good part of these years trying to forget this love. We don’t get to know Vivek’s side of the story through the major part of the book. It’s only in the last few pages, the reader discovers that Vivek was heartbroken too after Oindrilla disappeared.

The author does know the social sector well, for she describes the processes and office politics like a pro. She has also drawn out the behaviours and attitudes of the characters adeptly. She uses a sarcastic narrative to keep the reader hooked.

However, there is too much noise in the story. In an effort to build pace, the author has created multiple complicated situations taking place simultaneously. Oindrilla’s mother is a loud-mouthed bureaucrat, who doesn’t come across as very serious about Oindrilla’s career. She is constantly screaming, irrespective of the fact the daughter is working.

Oindrilla’s closest friend, Sweety, is in a relationship with another close friend, Divya. Of course, Oinks has never liked Divya, who is a privileged South Delhi girl and a Punjabi. Oindrilla’s younger cousin sister, Ankita, falls in love with a Naxal warlord, who deceives her. Luckily, she escapes at the last minute before any major harm takes place. The so called comic cliched nuances about different communities, LGBTQ, South Delhi ladies, and Oindrilla’s life are boring.

Then there is Rajat, the young man connected with work, who has a huge crush on her. Aparna, the colleague, who surprises by lending a helping hand. Rahul, the fatherly boss, who only wants to give sermons.

Oindrilla is constantly in a disruptive frame of mind, making an effort to work, please mom, placate friends, handle her hot emotions for Vivek. The love gets lost in the noise.

I am a sucker for romance, but I like to read books to forget the noise around me. I like to lose myself in the rhythm of the words. Being a literature graduate, I enjoy the depth of characters, their foreplay, their weaknesses, strengths, ability to navigate out of any situation.

By putting Oindrilla in the midst of non-stop disruptions, the author is perhaps sending out a message that this independent woman is adept at handling all the chaos. For me, it doesn’t augur well. It is tedious to assimilate most issues at the same time: cousin eloping, mother creating ruckus, boss trying to be cool, colleague being unexpectedly kind,Vivek in a puzzled frame, Oindrilla running from pillar to post. After one or two chapters of this, one needs respite. In a romance novel, I would not like to know a superwoman, just a woman who is trying to figure out love.  

Moreover, the language fails to create magic. The Queen’s English has been abandoned and Indie-English is the norm in this book. Hindi words and phrases are used liberally, some Bengali ones too. Words like ‘tatti jeevan’, ‘kuttas’, ‘thoko’, ‘bataoing gyan’, ‘fuck’, make this story a crass teenage love. Considering the protagonists are in their 20s and working professionals, the language doesn’t match the profile. Looking at the fact that most chick lit is read by teenagers, the narrative loaded with streetside colloquialisms is unappealing.

Maybe, I am puritan when it comes to books, but I like beautiful narratives and a love story that brings sweet dreams. This book doesn’t do that.

Book Details

Publisher: ‎ Om Books International
Paperback: ‎200 pages
Price: Rs 295, Kindle edition available

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