The Reason is You-Nikita Singh

Book: The Reason is You

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India

Author: Nikita Singh

Telling the tale of Siddhant and Maahi after the events of Like a Love Song, Nikita Singh’s latest offering The Reason is You is a tale of how certain events in life affect us and those around us.

Siddhant and Akriti meet during their medical residency in Delhi. The book opens with Siddhant going out for a date with Akriti. A tad bit nervous, the date begins with Siddhant fumbling but slowly easing into his date when he and Akriti move to familiar turf of discussing their common turf-medicine. It is towards this date that events of the book unfold. Akriti faces a loss that she has to recover from and she leans on Siddhant for support.  In this emotionally charged moment, they assume the feelings to be that of love and the tale unfolds through the pages. Everything seems to be going just fine, when Maahi, Sid’s ex-girlfriend bumps into them one evening.

It is not just a simple story of how emotions play with our behavior, it delves deep into human psyche and brings out the raw emotions of us, of what makes us human. The story deals with the concept of mental health and depression, of how certain events in our lives have the power to completely alter our lives as we know them. It is also a story of how important it is to have a support system-family & friends and how asking for help is a better option. However, it also touches upon the fact that people who need professional help should not shy away from it. 

Another topic it touches upon is the fragile concept of second chances. The story of Siddhant, Akriti and Maahi, all are based on second chances that they gave to life and to the people they love.

The characters are tightly woven and convey the message very sharply. While reading the book, you can imagine Siddhant talking to Akriti, assuring her, dealing with different emotions, fighting emotions. You can almost feel the pain of Akriti, her pang of sadness and her change of behavior through out the story. Last but not the least, Maahi and Priyesh are the characters that bring the story home. It is them who make the story truly life like.

P.S. the character of Akriti’s mother is a complete surprise.

All in all, a wonderful read.