The Diary of My Love by Deesha Sangani
My take on the book:
Anushkaa is dealing with grief, the feeling of being broken and she is in a situation where she is not even able to share the reason for her condition with her family and friends. As she looks at Ayush’s photo and reminisces about the past, Anushkaa narrates her life starting from her college days. Her long term friendship with Karan and then meeting Sahil accidentally in the college canteen and the immediate love that blossomed between them.
Her dilemma about her relationship with Sahil, her ability to crack a good job through campus selection, and her shifting to Bangalore for her job. Her introduction to Ayush as a senior team member, and Sahil’s continued efforts to rekindle their relationship. If Sahil and Anushka did not have a happily ever after, and Anushkaa is grieving about her relationship with Ayush, what could have happened in the lives of Anushkaa, Sahil and Ayush forms the rest of the story.
The Diary of my love is the story of Anushkaa that narrates her life with her family, friends, her complicated love life with Sahil and Ayush, alongside her own personal struggles and how her diary is a constant companion in these ups and downs, along with her ambition to be a successful writer. The story begins in current times and then moves back into Anushkaa’s college days narrating about all the people she met on the way.
Except for the initial few chapters, the entire story is told from Anushkaa’s perspective which makes it one-sided, as I would have liked the story told from Karan and Sahil perspective also. The diary entries of Anushkaa which capture her mood for the day, but mainly her way of cheering herself up are the highlight of the story. The story begins well with the author building intrigue around Ayush, Sahil and how their story with Anushkaa will progress.
However, the story suffers from inconsistency in Anushkaa’s characterisation as she is mature one minute and then takes hasty decisions immediately. In an attempt to bring in many twists in the story, the author does not build the characters properly. The story has potential which is not explored, as the middle parts are not as engrossing as the beginning and the climax. The editing could also be better to make the story more gripping.
Even with the shortcomings, the reader will be curious till the end and that is where the author succeeds. Anushkaa’s ambition and never give up attitude are well captured by the author than the love story which lacks depth. If you like to read urban contemporary love stories, then this one makes for a one time read.
My rating:
3.5/5.