My Ramyeon Girl by Nethra A.
Pages: 97
Price: Rs. 76 INR(Kindle Edition)
ASIN: B0876DYMXQ
Buy here: https://amzn.to/2WiOdRM
One afternoon, Lee Jung-Su, a star at the peak of his career meets Meena at a ramyeon shop, and thenceforth things take a turn. He gradually grows to like her, but encounters racism first-hand as he falls for the Indian girl.
Celebrities don’t have it easy, especially not in South Korea. His fresh approach towards acting and the consequences of his relationship with Meena changes his perspectives of black and white, of good and bad, of reality and fantasy.
About the author:
Based in Bangalore, Nethra is a post-graduate in Business Administration from Christ University Institute of Management and is a graduate in Computer Science & Engineering from University Visvesvarya College of Engineering — Bangalore. She is a voracious reader and a fiction writer, who puts quality writing over everything else. Her interest in good stories and writing made her start Fablery Mediaworks, a media house and a publisher of novellas and graphic novels.
My take on the book:
Lee Jung-Su the rising star of South Korea meets Meena an aspiring writer from India, by chance at a Ramyeon shop. Jung-Su who till then had only casuals flings with women, finds himself attracted to Meena, as he keeps bumping into her again and again. But in current times, is it simple for a famous controversial star to be seen with a brown woman from a different country, amidst fans, anti-fans, trolls, media-glare and public scrutiny? Does Jung-Su and Meena who are complete contrasts personality-wise and hailing from different cultures fall in love and settle into a happily-ever-after forms the rest of the story.
The backdrop of the story setup against South Korea with protagonists from different cultures and backgrounds is the USP of this story. Though it is a short read at less than 100 pages, the second half has the major action happening with the first half dedicated to establishing the characters and their backstory. The dilemmas, insecurities and downside of being in showbiz is well captured by the author through Jung-Su’s character as he feels shallow within even with all his fame, money and fandom till he meets a random girl at a restaurant.
The author keeps the reader guessing till the end, while maintaining the suspense of how the story would culminate. Some scenes could have been better executed as the narration feels abrupt in parts. Also, the two main characters lack depth as the story could have explored their other shades. However, the backdrop and the contrast between the protagonists is what kept me hooked till the end and it was a welcome change to read a story set against South Korea which we don’t often see explored in fiction writing.
If you enjoy reading love stories then this will be a nice addition to your list of sweet, simple love stories.
My rating:
4/5.