Half Girlfriend (Book Review)

A book that created waves

Photo Courtesy:https://www.facebook.com/chetanbhagat.fanpage

even before its release and a book that garnered eyeballs even from the non-readers for a line that was shocking to be read in print at a place and time when worse lines are uttered in almost every street by the roadside romeos at unsuspecting victims, Chetan Bhagat managed to strike a chord with that part of the society that tends to be ignored by many English language authors- the so-called less fluent English knowing readers.

I have read all of his books except What Young India Wants and somehow I found this one shallow in its content and I guess this one was written with a Bollywood adaptation of the same in mind. I wonder if that was the reason for this comparative lack of depth in the tale.

I felt that Madhav's mother's character could have been better described in the 'Chetan Bhagat way'. Was Amrita Singh ( the female actor who played Krish's mother in 2States, an adaptation of his fourth novel) on Bhagat's mind when he wrote about Madhav's mother? I could imagine her acting out her part in this book's film adaptation.

What I liked about the book is its portrayal of Riya (at times). She played Basketball. Wow! She was bold enough to walk out of a relation that was doing her no good and was infact deluging her individuality. The anxieties, emotions and actions that Riya underwent has been well written.

I had read Mr. Bhagat's post during the release of this book which made him an Author and Producer at the same time. I appreciate his rise from a banker to where he has reached now but I wonder if he is ready to play the multiple roles that now await him.

I never liked it when Chetan Bhagat's writing style was criticized because I somehow liked his books no matter what the world had to say but with this book my hopes seem to have suddenly faded.

A MESSAGE FROM A BIT DISAPPOINTED READER: Write with an Author's vision and not a Director's or Producer's. No doubt certain scenes that were originally there in the book might get cut but then maybe it's because it would magically charm just the 'readers' and not the 'viewers'. It's alright if the entire book does not metamorphose into the film but it seems shallow when a film is written down on paper.

-Divya Nambiar

Author: Chetan Bhagat

Other books by the author: Five Point Someone: What Not to do at IIT, One Night at the Call Centre, The Three Mistakes of My Life, 2States- The Story of My Marriage, Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition, What Young India Wants

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