CHARACTERS: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
CLIMAX: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5
My Musings
In the month of April, I got a chance to read quite a few romance novels. Sudeep Nagarkar’s She Friend-Zoned My Love, Nikita Singh’s Letters to My Ex, Irshad Thalakala’s My True Angel and Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood were the four romances that I read in April 2018. Since April turned out to be quite romancey, I thought it would be great if the tradition continued in May as well. On the same thought, I started this month with a college romance – My Mute Girlfriend by Himanshu Rai. I was already familiar with Himanshu Rai’s work as an author. Last year I had read, Recollecting The End, a romantic thriller by him and was quite impressed by his writing.
What is the book all about? What to expect?
My Mute Girlfriend is a simple and somewhat cliché college romance which is based on a true story. The only thing that sets it apart from other books in the market is its “true story” tag. It is only because of this fact, that the book maintains its appeal.
What’s the storyline?
Rohan Verma is a small-town guy from Sagar who moves to Jabalpur for his engineering. He falls in love with the college heartthrob Vaidehi Sharma, who is a day scholar. Mutual attraction soon leads to a relationship which occupies their days and nights. Their days are spent basking in each other’s warmth and their nights are spent waiting for the day to begin again. But somewhere down the line, the unexpected happens, which shocks not only Himanshu but also the entire campus. Now revealing that mystery might not be a good idea and hence, I refrain from it. If I have got you curious enough, you should grab a copy of My Mute Girlfriend and find it out yourself.
How are the characters?
The characters are an okay bunch. They are charming and adorable. Each of the characters, including the not so important ones, have strong personalities, and that shows Himanshu’s skills of character development. However, one thing that should be noted here is that the characters like most of the other aspects of this book are pretty much cliché.
How is the author’s writing style?
Himanshu Rai writes in a way as to make the book a mass market read. At least in that sense, Himanshu Rai is quite clear about what he plans to achieve. My Mute Girlfriend is supposed to be a cliché college romance served with just the right dose of twist and that is exactly what Himanshu delivers. There is no pretence in his writing; no use of flattering words, no relying on complicated storytelling because in the end the book is meant to be a simple read.
I also love the way Himanshu has told the story in flashback. The scenes frequently switch from present to past to present again. There is also a frequent change in the narrative voice. Most of the time it is the protagonist Rohan who is narrating the story, but we also get to read the perspectives of Navya, Vaidehi, Anurag and Vineet. This breaks the monotony and brings a breath of fresh air.
Most of the college romances that I read touch upon a college goer’s daily life but do so only superficially. In My Mute Girlfriend, however, the readers also get to relive those days of college life in a better manner. The book will especially appeal to readers who want to cherish those innocent and mischievous college and hostel days. Additionally, it will appeal to students who are currently in college and school.
Readability
The cover is appealing and so is the blurb but the readability is not excellent. The font size is a bit small for my liking and did not help much in enhancing the reading experience.
Is the climax good?
The climax of has its fair share of surprises. Though there was a subtle hint about the direction in which the story was heading, the exact nature of the ending was a suspense. In that sense, it can be said that the climax of the book was a bit unpredictable.
The final verdict
In the end, My Mute Girlfriend is a decent attempt by the author to venture into the genre of romance. The story is rather plain but just the fact that the book is a true story makes it a special read. Simple language, breezy writing style, a love that is an inspiration in itself, decent characters and the very relatable college setting gives this book a mass appeal.
Pick up the book if
Go for this book if you enjoy college romances. It will also appeal to those readers who like to read books written in simple English. Further, you might also enjoy this book if you like to read about true and inspiring love stories.
Skip the book if
It would do good to refrain from this book if you don’t like college romances especially the ones written by Sudeep Nagarkar, Nikita Singh, Ajay K Pandey etc. Also, if you are a voracious reader who consumes multiple books a month, this book might appear to be a bit repetitive, so don’t go for it if you are looking for literary or a unique read.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of My Mute Girlfriend using the link below.
