Book Review #60 You Begin Where I End: Sarang Jairaj

This book is sent by the author in exchange of a honest and unbiased review.

Blurb:

Is it possible to love two people at the same time?

Nafisa is dealing with beers, periods, heartbreak, and dating apps when she meets her new uniquely average boyfriend. But is he the love of her life? Before Nafisa can figure that out, her life is turned upside down. Her mother Tamanna dies in an accident. In trying to come to terms with her loss, she finds solace in the company of a charming painter. Her life takes a retro turn, with diaries, handwritten letters, and music trying to heal her.

Tamanna is busy simply existing and complaining, when a gorgeous poet takes her on a whirlwind philosophical journey, teaching her to appreciate art, nature, human existence, and love. But is he the love of her life? Before Tamanna can figure that out, her marriage is arranged with an extraordinarily ordinary guy. Amidst arranged marriages, honor killings, letters of blood, and melting ice-golas, Tamanna shall discover her brand of love.

You Begin Where I End spins two unconventional love stories, set two decades apart — 1991 and 2015 — trying to find an answer to the eternal dilemma of darlings — What is love?

My Take: 

This story takes us to a girl's journey. Her thoughts, her feelings. A story of heart break, losing a parent, a beautiful flash back story and re inventing herself, rather coping up with the loss of a parent and learning to live on. The  part where she loses her mom and try to come in terms of it is handled very delicately.

Nafisa calls herself panda, has inferiority complex, thinks too much about herself and has no depth. This character could have etched well. She sounds very dense. Confused with the guys in her life and the choice she makes, what love means to her and how love can mean different things to different people is what the story is all about.

The best part of the story being her mom's journal. A parallel has been drawn between love of two generations which concept wise is extremely interesting but execution could have been better.

Now I didn't like the way the girl is portrayed.Agreed that it is story of a girl next door but still I have my reservations about the fact that a relationship depends on how curvy/ chubby one looks. I feel being curvy is not bad. The author could have depicted her a little better. Humor wasn't up to the mark, nor were some sly remarks on app name, Bollywood actress etc.

Rating:


I would rate this 3/ 5 . The story narration could have been better. A one time read.

You can buy the book here.