PLOT: 4/5
CHARACTERS: 4/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
CLIMAX: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4.5/5

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Statutory Warning: Reading this book may cause possible side effects like sudden and involuntary bursts of laughter, stomach ache and an increased desire to be naughty. Read it at your own risk.[/perfectpullquote] The first thing anyone would notice about this book is its title. It is not ‘Soul Mate’; it is ‘So…u’l…mate?’ and I need not tell you the meaning.

This is the first clue that the author gives about what lies within those 200-odd pages.

The blurb gives you other minor clues – ‘line between love and lust’, ‘beautiful girl’s butt’, etc. With these initial clues, I assumed the book to be a dirty comedy written by a dirty mind and I was right.

But I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. In today’s world, where we all enjoy our share of non-veg SMSs, I’m sure you would enjoy reading this book too and its dark humour.

The book begins with the break-up of Rajat. Dejected and detested, he decides to give up the concept of true love and become a playboy.

In his new avatar, he meets Meghna, a hot girl, who falls for him. Circumstances lead to their break-up and then he meets Anjali, a girl prettier than Meghna.

The story proceeds with Rajat and Anjali’s affair and that is when he gets a strange dream where he sees God drawing a black mark on a beautiful girl’s butt.

He concludes that his soul mate should have a similar mark on her butt and begins his search. He is helped by his friends Dharmesh, Jatin and Padmesh.

The rest of the story is about the protagonist’s search for his soul mate who has a black mark on her butt.

Bharat Hegde’s writing style is hilarious to the core. The dialogue, the incidents, and the characters are all very funny in their way.

There are many PJs but those too will surely make you laugh. The main goal of a humour book should be to make its readers laugh and in that, this book scores a perfect 100.

The incidents where the friends enter the ladies’ hostel; their trip to Nandal Beach; and Dharmesh’s description of Rajat’s English will make you laugh your hearts out.

Coming to the best part, the characters are the soul of So…u’l…mate?.

They are the reason why this book, Soul Mate, is as comical as it is. Rajat, Dharmesh and Jatin are desperate to score girls and this desperation of theirs makes them funnier.

How the author has described even the minor and unimportant characters is brilliant and proves his worth.

The climax of So…u’l…mate? was a bit dramatic and filmy. I found it to be very abrupt and the turn of events was so drastic that I found it unfathomable.

But the good thing is that the humour was maintained even in this chaos. Concluding this review, I’d strongly recommend this book as a must-read because of its excellent humour quotient.