The Things We Do for Love-Raunak Agarwal

Book: The Things We Do for Love

Author: Raunak Agarwal

Publisher: Bigfoot Publications

In this age of social media, we tend to have many tags for a relationship. Friend, Best Friend, Friends with benefits and what not. As the interactions increased, so did our need for connecting and thus we now see people in and out of relationships fast.

(Cover Courtesy: Goodreads)

The Things We Do for Love by Raunak Agarwal is a take on a love triangle, where the characters are unsure about their feelings and how to approach the same. As the time progresses, we see the feelings of each of the characters change and that drives the story forward. The book is written from Rudra’s point of view and he is the protagonist with whom we make this journey. He thinks that he’s fallen for Ruhani, who he had met through a common friend. Things take a turn when Ruhani chooses her best friend, Kabir over him. To win her back, he rekindles his old flame, Tania and tries to make Ruhani jealous. But as love stories go, there is never a straight path and the paths of Kabir, Rudra, Ruhani & Tania intersect at many points and that is what makes the story propel ahead.

The Things We Do for Love is a story of jealousy, multiple second-chances and some uninformed choices. Through his story, Raunak touches upon subjects such as unrequited love, obsession and even friendship and the different forks it can develop. The book also brings to light the effects of social media on our relationships and how things said online can come back to haunt you later.

Written in the format of a diary entry, the plot is interesting and keeps you hooked on what is happening. Though you would expect a run-of-the-mill-ending, the last chapter is a real shocker. With such a cliff-hanger, the wait for the second part of the book now increases manifold. When the point of view changes in the story, a break or a header would have been better as the reader is looking at the POV of Rudra only and a sudden change takes them off-track.

The characters are built nicely and are relatable. The situations can be understood by the readers as most of them would have gone through the same or have a friend who has gone through it at some point in their life.

All in all, a good read. It deserves a 3.5/5.