8 PM: An Apolitical Love Story by Fazle Karim
Pages: 138
Price: Rs. 114 INR(Kindle Edition)
ASIN: B089K3D3L6
Buy here: https://amzn.to/3k8s0Q6
My take on the book:
Rahul’s life had been adversely affected by the ongoing 8 PM announcements in the country — like demonetization, which resulted in him losing his job due to cash crunch by the organization. As fate would have, he soon finds another job with help from his college friend, but the tragedy starts when he meets people from his unhappy past at this new company. Rahul who was a broken and bitter person by now owing to past incidents is not ready to let any one come close. Will he able to move on in life and give life a second chance forms the rest of the story.
The title and how recent events in the country could have affected some young lives is an interesting premise. While the title also mentions the story as an apolitical love story, its equally a satire as the author takes digs at demonetization, how it affected common, people lynched for eating beef, attacked in cinema theaters for not standing up for the national anthem. Some of these are not related to the story but are expressed as musings by the protagonist.
The first half has the suspense factor as the reader gets a peek into Rahul’s present life and slowly his past and what made him the person he is today. However, the story drags especially in the second half, as even past the midway mark, the story in current timeline refuses to move ahead. The actual story chosen is thin that is made interesting by the author’s conversational style narration. If you like contemporary stories with a hint of sarcasm thrown in between young characters, then this is for you.
My rating:
3/5.