Meant to be Together — by Faraaz Kazi
Publisher: Srishti Publishers and Distributors
Pages: 224
Price: Rs. 195 INR(Paperback)
ISBN: 978–9387022430
Buy here: https://amzn.to/2O8QY6g
Preeti Thaker moves to Mumbai to run away from herself. to put behind a painful childhood, plagued adolescent years and the recent death of her only support system — her brother. She is on the verge of ending it all, succumbing to her depression, when the doorbell rings. Little does she know that answering it will change her life forever! The guy on the other end of the door will offer her solutions to all her problems, but in the process, she will end up losing the only thing she had never lost till date — her heart!
Inspired by the true story of an artist who found that love was the only color missing from the palette of her life, Meant to be together is a tale of love, friendship, courage, determination and above all, hope. Hope that makes us look for the rainbow when it rains and for the stars when it is dark.
About the author:
The recipient of the YCOF National Excellence Award and National Debut Youth Fiction Award 2013, Faraaz Kazi is also called the Nicholas Sparks of India. A digital entrepreneur and a three-time post-grad, Kazi has previously authored three bestselling titles — Truly Madly Deeply (2010), The Other Side (2013) and Love (2015). Kazi is a fellow member of the esteemed Film Writers Association of India and an active member of The International Horror Writers Association.
My take on the book:
Preeti Thaker had a very troubled childhood — she had to shift to her grandmother’s house when her father met with a tragic accident and was completely bedridden. As much as she misses having a normal childhood like her other classmates, she is also a constant target of bullies and at a later point sexual abuse by her teacher. The only constant support for her through these years was her elder brother Hitesh, and just when things seem to be settling down, fate takes away Hitesh forever from Preeti again in an accident.
Depressed and not having any more reason to live, Preeti’s is on the verge of ending her life when Sameer Arora rings her door bell! Sameer, her neighbor who stays in the same floor, enters her house and life, is he going to change it forever or may be bring a storm as everything else had been in life so far for Preeti, forms the rest of the story.
The first fifty odd pages touch on the childhood of Preeti, her growing up years till she loses the only love she ever experienced, Hitesh. If the reader can navigate through these very intense, emotional and disturbing events of Preeti’s life, can the experience the sweeter and passionate relationship Preeti starts building with Sameer. Added to that is the immensely lovable gang Sameer brings along himself to Preeti. As with any other love story, this one too has the beautiful moments and some downtimes. However, Preeti and Sameer are extremely well developed characters who will pull the readers into their journey.
However I personally found the preclimax and climax a bit dramatic and at times unbelievable, the epilogue makes up for any lack of satisfaction seeping in towards the end, as the author reveals the people whose life this story is inspired from. And as intrigued as I was by this fact, I was pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed to realize Preeti and Sameer do exist, and the reader might want to re-read the book to experience a real story again. Pick this one to be taken on the exhilarating journey of Preeti and Sameer, especially Preeti’s story on how unpredictable life can be when it brings sorrow or happiness and how life is all about taking chances and living it to the fullest.
My rating:
4/5.