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Thursday, 10 June 2021

The Last Boy to Fall in Love-Durjoy Datta

Book: The Last Boy to Fall in Love
Author: Durjoy Datta
Narrated By: Rasika Dugal and Sikandar Kher
Platform: Audible

What would be the first thing you would do if you were the last person alive on the planet?

The Last Boy to Fall in Love by Durjoy Datta takes place in a version of our future where a virus wipes out the entire world’s population. Only 2 survivors are left-A boy named Amartya and a girl named Erika. As their story begins, it seems that they are meant to be together, but maybe there is something more than what meets the eye. As always, each of them has their own secrets, their baggage that they are carrying, and if revealed, threatens to end the relationship. With the key to the future of humanity possibly lying in their relationship, the question is what does the future hold?

The storyline is very well planned, Durjoy takes up a dystopian future where everything seems bleak, and just like an oasis in a desert, love blooms to make things brighter. The plot is engaging and moves in a pace that is comfortable, yet takes its time to establish events and things. The level of detailing is quite high, and the story is able to paint a vivid picture as to what is happening at a particular point in the story. The book has 3 parts, being narrated by Amartya and Erika alternatively as they explain their story. The tension in the plot is quite palpable and the plot twist is unexpected and elevates the plot to another level. I loved how the climax has a callback to the first scene and how things come a full circle.

The characters of Erika and Amartya are well crafted, with adequate information about their motivations and intentions. I liked both the characters, though I loved Erika’s character a bit more as it had multiple shades and her actions were quite unpredictable. Another thing about the characters that stands out is that they are opposites and Durjoy makes sure to emphasize on the point multiple times.

Since this is an audiobook, the voices are as important as the story and the characters because as a reader and as a listener, you visualize those faces in those characters and for me Rasika as Erika and Sikandar as Amartya are 2 voices that perfectly fit the characters. With just the right amount of voice modulation and activity, the scenes came alive. It felt as if the story was tailormade for those voices. The pace of the narration is comfortable with Rasika and Sikandar emulating the emotions very well, specially in the third chapter which was quite emotive.

Overall, TLBTFIL gets a 4.63/5 for me, with a special mention to the wonderful narration by Rasika and Sikandar.

The audiobook is available on Audible!
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