This bibliophile picked up her first book of 2019 - ‘If It’s Not Forever It’s Not Love’ by Durjoy Datta & Nikita Singh.
Why did I choose ‘If It’s Not Forever It’s Not Love’
This is the first time I read a book by Durjoy Datta & Nikita Singh. I choose this by the recommendation of a fellow blogger - Vishal after reading his post on - Best Books Read in 2018
Thank you Vishal for giving me confidence in reading his book as I refrain to pick any romance book by Indian authors. I did like it and flipped through it.
Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Genre: Romance
Overview:
The story revolves around the life of Deb, Avantika, Shrey, and Tiya. Wait! These aren’t the only ones in the story. It becomes interesting when Deb, a bomb blast survivor comes across a partly burnt diary at the blast site. Who isn’t intrigued by the concept of “diary”? It is a mirror of the person writing it - no lies, no facade but only the true emotions of the writer not known to many or sometimes no one. The diary holds a one-sided love story and Deb decides to follow the journey of the owner who is dead now ?! and return this diary to the girl whom he loves - Ragini.
Meet The Characters:
Debashish Roy: Deb, is an author and runs a publishing company with Shrey, his best friend. Deb is grateful for Avantika (girlfriend) in his life. Yes, she is beautiful, hot and sexy but a person for Deb who wants to spend the rest of his life with.
Avantika: Courageous, open-minded and sensational female character. Deb did not fall in love only for her beauty. He has accepted her for the person who she is and her past - fighting against the drug addiction.
Shrey: A womanizer. He is the person who speaks “what’s inside his head” and does not sugar coat his words. He is rowdy and badass. People like him need a Tiya in their life, not for a fling but to be with lifelong.
Tiya: Audacious and adventurous seventeen years old. You'll think a seventeen-year-old shouldn't do what she does yet will hate to love her.
Other two characters: Dead writer of the diary (Not naming him in this review to prevent spoilers) & Ragini.
The Story:
The story is narrated by the protagonist Deb and unfolds with a recital of the blast and aftermath. He struggles with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) and is haunted by the images of the horrific day. After many sleepless nights, he decides to visit the blast site where he discovers the diary.
His ceaseless thought of ‘what if I was among the ones who lost their lives’, then his loved ones would be grieving. This thought shudders him and he decides to reach out to Ragini. But how? There isn’t the name of the owner or any address in the diary.
Deb grabs the opportunity when Shrey asks him to agree for a road trip. His quest begins to find Ragini with the references in the diary - school, college, places the writer stayed, and his friends.
His venture begins alongside Shrey, Avantika and Tiya across various cities in India. Do they find Ragini and tell her about the diary? Or something else awaits them?
Why should you read ‘If It’s Not Forever It’s Not Love’
A. If you are already a fan of Durjoy Datta
B. If you swoon over romance books
C. It is a page-turner with revelations in the last quarter of pages
D. It won’t make you feel like reading a Bollywood script
Why you can skip reading this book
If you don’t like cheesy love stories.
Final verdict
‘If It’s Not Forever It’s Not Love’ is about the relationships which aren’t the ones after “marriage”, but agreeable because it is about the acceptance of the person with his / her flaws.
I have read a few books by male author and Durjoy Datta is the third among them (Yes, I know Nikita Singh has collaborated). The story is likable to read from a male perspective. The book does have ‘F’ word, erotism, alcohol, drugs. But that’s how life is and can’t be ignored.
There is a perfect switch between Deb’s present life and the story of the dead man. There are the road trips, hotel stays, caught in a scandal scene, tears, laughter, smiles, shock, surprises, attempt to suicide and most importantly love.
The story is captivating as the four keep searching for clues to reach one person to other in the dead man's life. Each one is eager to find Ragini and convey the one-sided love even though they have to travel between metropolitan cities.
So what is the fate of the diary? Does it reach Ragini? I won’t spill the beans. Read the book to know why ‘If it’s not forever it’s not love’.
Few Quotes from ‘If It’s Not Forever It’s Not Love’
“Caring about what others think is the biggest jail one can put oneself in.”
“Avantika : I know you love me. Yes, you try to get me naked half of the time, but i love you for that too. you are my boyfriend and it's always great to have a boyfriend who gets turned on by a mere touch. Makes life a lot easier.”
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