The Six Levels of Theory of Marriage-Rachit Sehgal

Book: The Six Levels of Theory of Marriage
Author: Rachit Sehgal
Publisher: Self Published

What is the weirdest date you have been on?

The Six Levels of Theory of Marriage by Rachit Sehgal explores the story of Rishabh, who is bombarded with a series of weird people in the search of a potential wife. As he juggles his search along with his stand-up comedy, his life and career graph, both move like a yoyo. He has an interesting theory about marriage, but unfortunately finding a taker for it is difficult. Shreya is a banker by profession, all set to marry her childhood sweetheart Gaurav, until a trip changes her life forever. The book traces the very relatable journey of two unconnected individuals, Rishabh and Shreya, woven around the peculiar and often hilarious world of the Indian marriage system.

The book has an interesting plot in the way it is narrated. In the initial part, I couldn’t connect the two parallel storylines, but as the second half starts, the two plots merge seamlessly. The storytelling is engaging and there are some very great moments as we navigate through Rishabh’s and Shreya’s life. I loved how Rachit takes his time to set the context. Rishabh’s dates are well explained, and I loved a few of them, specially in the way he explains them. Rachit has grabbed the pulse of the Indian marriage process very succinctly and his take on it through the characters is a very good attempt. I would have loved a bit more connect among the scenes, particularly in the first half as the reader’s interest starts waning off due to the disconnect. Another thing I would have wanted improved is a second round of proofreading for the second half. The climax is quite predictable but executed well.

Coming to the characters, Rishabh and Shreya, both have been created well and the first half of the book sets a good tone for the actions of both the protagonists of the story. The level of detail that he has put in into not just the lead characters, but also the supporting characters is commendable. The character arc of Shreya was something I was impressed with, considering all that happened, but I would have loved a bit more of substance into Rishabh’s character.

Overall, a good book that I would recommend if you like to read a romantic story with a different perspective. The book scores a 4/5 for me.

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