Book Review- Wish I Could Tell You by Durjoy Dutta
Wish I could tell you can be considered a romantic story except the fact that is neither conventional nor cliché kind of love story. This book has lot more to offer. How can you fall in love with someone when you have never talked to them? You have imagined their whole personality, their behavior towards you just by the stories you have heard about them. You spend your whole day sitting near them and yet they can’t see your profound feelings.
I personally can’t get this story out of my head because of the simple yet beautiful narration, the sharp plot twists, the small details and of course the characters. Each character has made a mark in my heart and I can’t possibly move on from this story. The book which seemed confusing and slow paced in the beginning has definitely made a positive impact on my mind.
What is the plot?
This story begins with the protagonist- Anant khatri’s POV who works for Wedonate which raises funds for the poor sufferers. Then it describes about the second protagonist Anusha Sardana’s life who also works for Wedonate. These two characters are stark contrast to each other, obviously.
While Ananth seeks the good in everyone and hides behind his fake smile, Anusha is a tad harsher. She believes everyone is an asshole and they pretend to be nice just to hide their real personalities. Anusha seemed unnecessarily harsh but the second half of the story made her behavior seemed logical. Soon their worlds collide and they become determine to save each other.
They didn’t talk to each other through- out the story. They just fell in love through the stories told by other people, and the photographs clicked by Ananth. The romance is way too different from what is shown in today’s love stories. It is more innocent and deeper.
Hopefully, the story doesn’t only revolve around this. There are more twists and turns which makes the story so compelling. The plot twists- both expected and unexpected makes this novel stand out.
What are my thoughts?
I have never read any other work of Durjoy Dutta. I have heard people say that he has nothing much to offer rather than a dramatic love story. But this book has changed his image in my mind.
• I loved how he painted a picture of every character’s world in our mind. It was not extra or unnecessary; just perfect to go with the story without making it long and boring.
• The photographs clicked by Ananth were the essence of the story. It was surprising how he made the characters come closer mainly through the photographs.
• Another important fragment were Ananth’s tweets which took the story on another new level. It was like Durjoy was forcing us to believe that truth is indeed harsh to digest.
• The language was basic and no heavy vocabulary was noticed. He didn’t even use dreamy and romantic phases which are a must in romance books. He was just dropping out the obvious things- but in such a beautiful manner that it seemed liked brand-new information.
• This story is indeed to stay with you for long. He has broken the stereotypes of romance novels.
• I love the characters. I love their independency and the changing of point of views.
What I didn’t like?
It has always seemed unfair to me to bring out the flaws of stories. For me, every story is worth listening or reading. But since constructive criticism is necessary so here are the few points: -
• The story seemed slow pace in the beginning. It became a little annoying until the second half of the story.
• The first half of the book will definitely confuse the hell out of you. I literally thought of leaving the book mid-way because none of the things made sense anymore. But as I said, the story took a turn in second half.
• Apart from main characters, Durjoy also sneaked us a glance in side characters’ lives- but not in detail. Considering the fact that the side characters have also played a significant role of making the story, it seemed a little unfair on their parts. Durjoy could have done some more describing there.
• The plot twists- a big part of making this story different, seemed forced in some parts of the story. Somewhere it felt that Durjoy was just blatantly putting out the story, ignoring the beauty of the concept.
• The end was, as many readers are saying, disappointing. I felt there could be more to the story. I am not saying it should be a happily ever after but just something more to consider a real ending.
Should you buy it?
If you are into some unconventional romance and have a lot of patience, then this book is for you. The story won’t disappoint you when you reach the point where everything makes sense. This is a new age romance filled with mystery. This story is a wholesome.
End note-
My sister suggested me this book, saying it gave her actual nightmares. Not that this story is scary or something. But some themes and descriptions might be too sensitive for some. I personally don’t see a reason to skip this book.
Hope it helped. Do tell me your views in the comment sections.
