All Day I Dream About Books

Blurb:

Rene thinks all her dreams mean something…well, maybe they do. Vipin thinks his life is over ever since his wife died in a car accident…well, maybe it is. Upasana thinks she has it all figured out. But does she really?

You put the three twenty somethings together, and it results in some absurd and hilarious situations, which the characters themselves believe are truly dramatic.

And then there’s Mark - A man very much in love with Rene. A man who's perhaps secretly writing a code book on 'how to win in love'.

If you're not living this life, you're watching it happen to someone else and punching a wall somewhere going, ""balls!""

Set in India and the USA, 'Graffiti', lampoons a range of social issues, all tightly packed into some highly entertaining fiction. It is a novel about relationships. It's about that beautiful puzzle on the wall...an ever changing puzzle called life.

Review:

Graffiti means writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on any surface in front of the public. The book Graffiti has done complete justice to the title as it is a graffiti in itself of the lives of several characters. Many complex relations and issues have been showcased in the book camouflaged behind a romantic comedy.  There are too many characters and too many incidents taking place and thus took me some time to get into it. Graffiti is a complex drama about life involving tragedy, humour and romance with a serious philosophical background.

Vipin who is an IT guy is trying to get back to his normal life after tragic death of his wife and realises that it is not so easy. He lives in the USA and is in a pathetic condition after the death of his wife in a car accident. He constantly blames himself for the death of his wife and another couple who were with them at the time of the accident. Eventually he comes across Rene, who in no time, becomes a very important part of his life. Rene’s character is also interesting who is a colleague of Vipin also has a backstory. Both of them become good friends and this forms the base of the story where they re-invent each other and many other aspects of life.

I personally feel that Graffiti is a good read but at times the story or rather the descriptions dragged. There were many unwanted pieces of texts making the novel too lengthy and could have easily been removed. The concept of the novel is good and the characters and some incidents; interesting. The book is funny but at the same time philosophical. The story is told from different point of views and in different persons of speech (first and third). Overall, I enjoyed reading Graffiti but in parts. I also loved the cover image which perfectly justifies the title. Recommended to those who are looking for a light and quirky read.

I received a free copy from Writersmelon in lieu of an honest review. 

My Rating: 3/5

 

Blurb:

The Times of India ran a short story contest between July, 2015 and May, 2016. Eleven of India's best selling authors were requested to provide a prompt (one each month) based on which a short story was to be submitted. This short story collection comprises the authors' submission for each prompt. The short stories submitted cover a range of genres: historical fiction, drama, humour, relationships, current affairs. The author in some instances has tried to give an innovative twist to the prompts, trying to lead the short story away from the direction the prompts indicate.

Review:

Last year Times of India conducted a short story contest and Dissent is the outcome of this contest which was hosted over a period of 11 months. The ebook is a collection of all the eleven submissions by Deepak Kaul for the Write India Campaign of Times Of India.

All the 11 short stories are distinct from each other and belong to different genres which is understandable as the stories were supposed to be written based on the prompts given by some best selling authors of the nation. So to meet the prompt and its flavour, the stories had to be from various genres.

The first story of any short story collection lays the pitch for the readers and thus needs to be one of the best pick from the lot, but the book lacked in this department. The book opened with a lacklustre story Dissent which is about a girl, the story being set during pre independent India. However, in the later stories, the author has shown much improvement and growth in writing and storytelling style.

The story concepts picked by the author are quite good and unique but he lacked somewhere in the execution. They failed to intrigue the reader. This book might interest people who prefer having a light, quick read, but for mature and serious reading, the book is not recommended. The cover of the book is not appealing either. Some of the stories that I liked are LCA, Mirage and Karma Agni.
Basically this collection of stories sums up the everyday nuances of life that also leave the reader to interpret the ending in his or her own manner. The book can not be considered as a great piece of writing and someone looking for a light entertaining read may go for it.

My Take: The author Deepak Kaul has done a decent job as a beginner. The stories are light hearted and entertaining suitable to keep you engaged during a Metro ride. Readers looking for some serious reading may not find it a suitable fit.

I received a free copy of the ebook from Writers Melon in lieu of an honest review.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Other Details:

Author: Deepak Kaul
Format: eBook
Genre:  Short Stories