Book Review — A House Full of Men by Parinda Joshi
A House Full of Men by Parinda Joshi
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Pages: 320
Price: Rs. 399 INR(paperback), Rs. 225 INR(Kindle Edition)
ISBN: 978–9354227011
Buy here: https://amzn.to/38YJdap
My take on the book:
Kritidhara Pant aka Kittu is the only female in her house along with six men — her grandfather whom they called High BP, her father who is perpetually interested in debating on contemporary politics, her younger brothers Shamik and Nishant, who are twins but poles apart, their doggie Bark Twain and a framed portrait of P.G.Wodehouse, forever smiling at her and provided unsolicited advice to Kittu.
Though she worked for a travel magazine, Kittu never travelled. She traveled only once out of her hometown Lucknow to return back to the tragic news of her mother’s death. Her world other than the men of her house had Neelu Aunty and her son Vicky whom Kittu assumed to be dating and dreamt of marrying someday. Enter this neighborhood a middle-aged lady Anandita and her nephew Kartik. How does life change for Kittu with the arrival of these new neighbors forms the rest of the story.
The story is meant to be quirky with a hint of wit as the characters and dialogues are contemporary and attempt to humor the reader. The cover is well designed and portrays the theme of the story. The backdrop of a young girl feeling lonely though living with her family since all are men has a fresh feel, however, after the first few pages this could not be retained as the story takes too long to take off.
Kittu’s banter with her family is interesting and keeps the reader entertained for the major part. The language is impressive, so is the author’s writing style. The story highlights on phobias, emotions, first loves and how these can make or break individuals. However, the story lacks overall direction and meaning which is disappointing; there are scenes one after another that are good standalone, but fail to add to the overall narration. The purpose of the characters is not well established, thereby none of them evolving to their potential.
Pick this one if you like to read lighthearted contemporary urban stories.
My rating:
3/5.
