Because Its Love | Kishore Nanda | Book Review

Because-its-Love-by-Kishore-Nanda-Book-Review

PLOT: 3.5/5
CHARACTERS: 3.5/5
WRITING STYLE: 2.5/5
CLIMAX: 2/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5 

My musings

Until very recently I only used to read about topics like LGBTQ, emotional abuse, mental health, and depression in books by foreign authors. But I am so glad that Indian authors are finally catching up. They say that pen is mightier than the sword and I believe it to be so. Written words especially books have the power to change mindsets, address social stigmas and herald societal transformations.

Because Its Love is one such book that takes a small but significant step in this direction and I must appreciate the author for this noble initiative. Read on to know what I think about the book and how was my experience of reading it?

What to expect?

Expect a book that tells not one but four stories that run parallel to each other but never intersect. Expect a book that brings to us fascinating tales of hope, love and the power of goodness. Expect a book that is written in a simple language and that is best suited for a beginner level reader.

Expect a book that tells the story of not just romantic love but the love of all types, shades, and bonds. Finally, expect a book that talks about many socially relevant issues.

Who can read?

The language of the book is simple and the narration is pretty straight forward which means that the book can be easily picked up by a beginner level reader.

What is the story like?

Because Its Love tells us the story of four individuals – Abhiram, Karan, Aarav, and Rajesh.

Abhiram is an elderly man who after contracting HIV is shunned by his family. After losing all hope in life, he meets three people who show him what true love is. The three people he meets are (1) Devika, a young girl forced into prostitution, (2) Adithya, a young gay man who is mistreated and bullied by his family and, (3) Karthik, who is a mentally challenged boy shunned by society.

Karan is a workaholic who loves and lives only for money. He dreams of all the things that he will be able to do with the money that he earns and in the process of chasing monetary wealth, he disavows his family. His whole life is turned upside down when he discovers that he is suffering from an incurable form of intestinal cancer.

Knowing that he only has a few more months to live, he decides to experience life and for once not live for money. A chance meeting brings him close to the eleven-year-old Aryan who in turn teaches him the true way of loving and living.

Aarav is a greedy man who has devised a diabolical plan to promote himself as an author and sell his yet unpublished book. He is in search of a dying girl who will agree to fake sell his book as her real-life story.

This he believes will manipulate innocent readers to buy his book by the dozens and he plans to become a best-selling author by the way of his masterplan. But finally, life will take him to Ananya who will change his world in ways unimaginable and teach him a thing or two about happiness.

Rajesh is a Casanova who loves to flirt and date women. He changes girlfriends like one would change clothes and is also very braggy about it. His life takes a U-turn when he finds a missing dog who develops a liking for him and who doesn’t let go of him. In the end, Rajesh, too learns that true love can be found in the most unexpected of places.

The book tells us the story of these characters and what happens when fate intervenes and changes the course of all their lives.

How good are the characters?

The characters are appealing and have depth. Some of them do seem to be very unidimensional especially when it comes to separating the good from the bad. But as the story progresses, they grow on you. There is a kind of simplistic charm that many of them possess and which is very hard to resist.

It is true that some of them are unrealistic and their actions unbelievable. But in the end, it is the characters that make this book what it is.

What did I like?

After a long time, I have come across a book that pays attention to reading comfort. The margins are broad and the font size comfortable which makes the book a desirable read.

I also like the social messages that the book sends across in an attempt to be more inclusive. That the book is not just about romantic love but all kinds of love including familial love, canophilia and the love between friends is just another icing on the cake.

What did I not like?

I did not like the tedious narrations and the lengthy rhetoric that some of the characters get into every once in a while. A major part of the book is just a repetition of what has been already said in the previous paragraphs and pages.

I also did not like the way the entire climax is revealed in the blurb itself. The blurb doesn’t do much to intrigue the reader. It is too revealing and lackluster in my opinion.

What could have been better?

The editing could have been better. There are many editing, spelling and grammatical mistakes in the book which are hard to ignore. I also believe that the writing could have been more polished.

Is the climax good?

The climax of Because Its Love is mediocre. It is predictable with very little surprises. But it does give a befitting end to the story of all four characters in a natural and desirable way.

It all boils down to the entertainment quotient

When it comes to entertainment, the book leaves a lot to be desired. The pace is too slow and the storytelling too linear. There is a dearth of creativity when it comes to narratives and there are just no surprises along the way.

In the end

In the end, Because Its Love is a bag of mixed emotions. The story is pretty elaborate and detailed. The message and the underlying moral lessons are also appreciated but the writing fails to rise up to the plot. Written in a style that is often shaky, hasty and monotonous the book definitely has a lot of scope for improvement.

My final verdict

Can be read!

Pick it up if

  • You are a beginner level reader.
  • You are looking for stories that talk about love and not just romantic love.
  • You enjoy books that talk about burning social issues.
  • You are looking for books that are mildly inspiring.
  • Reading books about character transformations interests you.
  • The idea of reading 4 different and unconnected stories in a single book appeals to you.

Skip if

Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Because Its Love using the link below.

Amazon

1 thought on “Because Its Love | Kishore Nanda | Book Review”

Leave a Comment