Author: Nona Uppal
Publisher: Penguin India
Do you think you can love more than one person romantically?
Since school, Sana has been the popular girl with excellent grades,
beloved by both teachers and parents, living an enviable life. Sana and Ashish
have been dating since the eleventh grade, sharing the kind of teenage romance
that makes it to the bestsellers list, sells out theatres and causes their
loveless friends to gag. Nothing, not even long-distance, can tear the two
apart. Except, maybe, a handsome,
overachieving, book-reading senior from Sana's college? Pranav is the typical
'cool guy' sought after by the entire college. He also happens to be Sana's new
friend, Aanchal's, brother. But he's nothing more than a friend! Sana already
has the best boyfriend in the world! Set in New Delhi, Fool Me Twice is an
unconventional story that will stump readers expecting a good, old romance
trope. We meet and fall in love with a young couple planning their futures
together when life rudely hijacks the steering wheel.
Fool Me Twice is a story that explores the various aspects of love-filial, platonic and romantic through its various characters. The story has been told in a simple but engaging narrative without any dull moments interrupting the narrative. The idea to anchor the story somewhere in the middle and explore the earlier life of Sana through memories was a nice way of showing the various aspects of her relationship with her family, Bani, Ashish and Tanya. Building up in the first half of the book, you connect so deeply with Sana, Bani and Ashish that when the first half of the book ends, you suddenly sit up in shock, no matter if you had expected that incident to happen from the back blurb because of the relatability quotient of the characters. Another aspect of the book that I liked was its treatment of grief and loss. Each of our characters in the book deals with a loss that impacts them significantly and through the book, we see how each one of them gets through the situation, helping the reader understand and connect with them. Nona’s writing is descriptive and you are transported and held in the scene she describes, presenting a wholesome reading experience. One thing that I want to highlight is the manner in which she brings out the power of friendships through the story is truly remarkable. Right from the basic ground rules between Bani, Sana and Ashish, to the discussions between Pranav, Aanchal and Sana, Nona’s presentation of love, friendships and everything else in between is just so perfect. Interestingly enough, the book also dwells upon 2 other societal stigmas that the author has explored which add another layer of complexity to the plot. The climax of the book is wholesome and a wonderful way to end, because if there is no happy ending, then there is always more to the story.
Coming to the characters, I simply love the way the author created
characters with such unique characteristics, yet you would find your friends some
way or the other in Bani, Ashish, Pranav and Aanchal. Apart from the
relatability, the character flaws have been presented nicely and how they deal
with them forms a critical part of the story. Of the characters that form a
part of the story, loved the small but such a pivotal character of Professor
Sarin, especially the doorway conversation between her and Sana, which
highlighted an aspect of our relationships which a lot of us miss-that of a
student and a teacher-and how that can impact a lot of our lives.
Overall, this is a book I would recommend not just because it is a
wonderfully penned romance, but for the manner in which it talks about the idea
of love, relationships and life. The book scores a 4.94/5 for me.
P.S. the Bollywood and the Harry Potter references were quite the cherry atop the cake.
I got my copy of the book at the New Delhi World Book Fair!
Get your copies of the book at your nearest book store or on Amazon India.
No comments:
Post a Comment