Author: Nayantara Violet Alva
Publisher: Penguin India
I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
What do you do when love crosses borders and societal expectations?
When Namya arrives at Maurya College of Liberal Arts―an elite bubble in
the middle of rural Haryana―she finds the brightest and the most privileged
living a life of complete self-indulgence. Alongside academic excellence,
promiscuity and incessant partying are also the norm. Meanwhile, the village’s
golden boy, Vir Kumar Yadav, has turned his back on a brilliant future and
resorted to selling overpriced booze to Mauryan undergraduates to support his
family. As their paths cross, Namya begins to question her entitlement, while
Vir finds himself struggling with the black-and-white notions he’s always held
true. And when a Westernized pub, Tej Ka Theka, opens next door, the walls of
the glass palace begin to crumble, setting the stage for an irrevocable culture
clash. Fresh and witty, Nayantara Violet Alva’s vivid and cinematic debut,
Liberal Hearts, is as much a college romance as it is a coming-of-age story.
Nayantara’s writing is interestingly fresh and right from the very first page, you are transported to the world of Maurya and its inhabitants. The storytelling is quite visual and you can almost find yourself sitting through the classes or walking through the streets of Renadh. What I enjoyed was that the social divide that forms one of the pillars is clearly shown throughout the story through various incidents. Another aspect of the story that stood out for me was the chemistry between Namya and Vir. The on-off moments were amazing to read and the parts where we see both were my favorites. The first scene on Vir’s roof was a funny one to read specially how the call back to the climax that is. The relationship between the prologue and the climax is quite good, but honestly, I would have loved to see a bit more of entaglement between Namya’s father and Vir. The entire sub-plot around Tej-Ka-Theka was something that drove the plot and the skirmishes between Tej and Vir really brought out the local flavour. The climax was quite good and I liked how the author took her time to close the story in the manner that she does, and while I was rooting for an immediate happily-ever after, the way the epilogue pans out really warms your heart.
Coming to the characters, Namya’s character arc is wonderfully explored
and you explore these little tidbits about her that help you picture her and
read the story in her own voice. When we met her initially, she is fresh out of
school, confused about career choices to the point where she finds her voice
and makes the hard choices. The way the arch pans out is so soothing to read
and wonderful to explore. Vir’s character is another one that impressed me. From
the very first time we meet him in the prologue, to the changed
man-of-the-house, Vir’s transformation was a bit painful to read but I could
connect to him deeply and understand his dilemma and the motivation for his
actions. Another character that deserves a mention here is that of Professor
Lahiri, and we all have had that one Professor in our lives who has had such a
profound impact in our lives and shaped our own futures.
Overall, Liberal Hearts is a heartwarming story of love, loss and finding yourself among all the chaos of the world. The book scores a 4.56/5 for me.
Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a bookstore near you.
Listen to songs in the book on spotify here:
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