Author: Shilpa Suraj
Publisher: Self Published
What if you have to choose between your dream
and the person you love?
Midnight’s Star by Shilpa Suraj is the story of Dev Arya, a
visually impaired author, and the current heartthrob of the readers. He has not
just overcome the odds in his life, he's got fame, fortune, and floozies in
abundance, and Avni Desai, café owner and the only child to her dependent
father, who is broke and heartbroken. Their paths cross when Dev walks into her
café and they realize that life wouldn’t be the same for them. From excellent tiramisu to ear shattering
singing, from dramatic friends to accident prone sexcapades, they embark on the
ride of a lifetime. Will it all be worth
it though? Will two broken souls find a way to heal each other? Or do the
fractures go so deep that there is no way for either of them to find the love
they so deeply crave and yet can't seem to have?
The idea of the book is interesting in the manner it is put across. Shilpa has portrayed physical disabilities in a manner which becomes a key plot point in ways more than one. The storytelling is very natural, and the plot moves at a comfortable pace. The romantic tension between Dev and Avni is palpable, and I loved the cat-and-mouse game that forms the bulk of the story. I also loved how the parallel track becomes an interesting aspect in the end. Apart from the concept of love, romance, and friendship, Shilpa touches upon the delicate topic of disabilities and how it impacts the person as well as those around him. I loved how she has dealt with this aspect and included it seamlessly into the plot. There are moments in the story which are pure bliss, and one would roll over laughing in those, especially the scenes between Dev and Avni. The climax is cliché, but I loved the way it was executed and how it completes the story nicely.
Coming to the characters, Avni’s character is
beautifully created with its share of positives and negatives. I loved how
different shades of her are shown at different parts of the story, yet she
never loses the air of independence that she exhibits from page 1. Dev, on the
other hand, as a character was interesting because of the way he presents
himself, specially in the second half of the book. Another aspect that stands
about the characters is the way the supporting characters have been detailed, especially
the arc of a particular character, who shall remain unnamed to avoid spoilers.
I would like to highlight one point is that
whenever we explore the story through the perspective of Dev, Shilpa has used
extensive olfactory, haptic, and auditory cues to drive the point home. The
book scores a 4.75/5 for me.
Get a copy of the book here.
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