A Walk In The Rain | Udai Yadla | Book Review

a walk in the rainPLOT: 4/5
CHARACTERS: 4.5/5
WRITING STYLE: 4.5/5
CLIMAX: 4/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4.5/5

I love it when debut Indian authors outdo your expectations of them by a large margin.

Whenever a debut author comes my way, I am usually sceptical and a little scared too because honestly, constructive criticism is an art and a very difficult one at that.

And so it will hardly be surprising that I am all bumpy and overjoyed when I discover a highly talented debut author. Last year luck had seemed to favour me because I had a very good debut author year in 2016.

Udai Kumar Yadla is no exception. He is a genius with words and mastermind of plots. There is so much craft as well as love and passion in his writing that once having started reading, it is difficult to put this book down.

Before starting with the review, let me shed a little bit of light on the story.

“A Walk in the Rain” revolves around mostly two characters – Sunny and Saloni however when you first start reading, it will take you a while before you figure this simple thing out.

Sunny has had a difficult childhood especially since he was deserted by his best friend and soulmate Sandy in his years of need.

Sunny though now well off, still misses and loves Sandy and hopes that she will be back someday. Imran is a guy whom Sunny loves dearly as a friend and who has a very important role in Sunny’s life.

Pooja is a prostitute who had been forced by circumstances into the flesh trade but now that she is into it, she doesn’t mind a bit of fun and game every now and then.

Sam is a decent and sincere chap who is bewitched by Pooja playing Chris and has no clue about it. He is a staunch believer in God and all things noble and moral.

Hari is a wicked opportunist who had no shame when he profited from the misfortunes of his family. Saloni is yet another girl forced into flesh trade against her will, who now lives her life in dismay and exasperation.

The story is told from some very interesting perspectives and that is one of the things which makes this book such a hit.

I definitely loved the way the book has so many subplots and characters (which sometimes confuses the reader in the beginning and) which come together beautifully in the end to form a coherent whole.

I just loved this way of writing and I am sure, subsequent readers of “A Walk in the Rain” will feel the same.

Now for those of you who must be wondering about the cliché sounding title and thinking of this book as yet another one of those typical college-or-office-girl-meets-boy romances, you cannot be more wrong as this book is anything but that.

This book has a myriad of characters and each of them more beautiful and deep than the other. This book also has some good subplots along with a good main plot.

The writing style is undoubtedly brilliant and I was awed at the way the author has penned the story. The climax is simple but pleasant and overall the book is a beautiful read.

A few things which I did not like, however, are its insipid title (it doesn’t do justice to what lies inside), an equally dull cover (this doesn’t help either) and the layout and formatting. Had these three been taken care of well, the book was a five on five for me.

Nevertheless, don’t let the last paragraph deter you from giving this book a try. My verdict is that “A Walk in the Rain” is a much-recommended read and I recommend it to all my readers while rating it four and a half out of five stars.

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