For a bookworm there’s no better joy than getting a novel with a personal note from the author. Written by charming Anjali Kirpalani, Never Say Never is like a fresh breeze of Monsoon in Mumbai.
Never Say Never, is the story of Nikita, an unemployed twenty-five year old based in Mumbai who doesn’t know what to do with her life. To make matters worse, Nikita is in love with her best friend’s boy friend. Though Nikita has a boyfriend, she does not like him anymore. On the night of her cousin’s wedding, she makes a list of things she will never do. Never marry for money. Never doubt her abilities. Never have feelings for an unavailable man. Never stay in a relationship where there is no love. Never get completely drunk in public and never wear velvet. But life seldom goes according to plan.
Book cover: Cover of the book is well designed and beautifully depicts the central character. The colour pink will definitely attract the ladies and especially those who enjoy chick literature.
Plot and setting: The story moves in and around the western suburbs of Mumbai. The setting blends well with the story and the author has brought alive the experience of living in a city like Mumbai. The plot of a twenty something girl, taking a vow of Never.. is awesome. Although, the author could have done a better job in sustaining it throughout the book.
Characterization: The characters are sketched out well. Anjali does a spectacular job in giving appropriate motivation to each character and brought out the grey shades. This is where the book scores very well.
Story: Starts of pretty well, drags in between but once the first half is over it is a complete delight. I love the way Anjali gives closure to each of her characters at the end of the story. It’s really an art to master.
Language and Style: Throughout the book, Anjali carefully crafts each word keeping in mind the attention span of the Whatsapp-generation reader. She has an excellent command over the language and chose easy-read style in this book.
Pace: The story starts of at good pace. It however slows down dreadfully for about 50 pages after the 40th page. After that it picks up speed and is full of twists and turns to provide complete entertainment to the reader. It was hard to put down the book once I crossed the halfway mark.
Final recommendation: A decent read for a lazy weekend afternoon, especially if you’re in your twenties.
– Mukesh Rijhwani
