Book Review 32
Name Of The Book : Sunshine Town
Author : Maniissh Aroraa
Publisher : Peacock Books
Year : 2018
Category : Fiction
Review :
Shlok, a lanky teenager, a daydreamer, doesn't want much from his life. A dream to make his parents happy and affection of his neighbour sweetheart, Natasha. Though both are poles apart, their interests bring them close. Together, they experience new emotion. But, just when they are ready to acknowledge their feelings of love for each other, it is too late. The rapids of life set Shlok on an unexpected journey, and he realizes one can't always be in control of circumstances. Unable to crack an important entrance exam and geographical difficulties affecting his love life, Shlok's life goes through turbulent times. All the while, his faith in God ebbs and flows, but like a wave, it ends up breaking on the shore before returning to the sea. He is confronted with a perennial question - am I good enough for anything? Holding a mirror to himself, he is faced with a decision to give upon everything he thought was right for him. Set in Varanasi, a city in North India, during the late 90s, before the pervasiveness of technology, Sunshine Town is about the aspirations and emotional turmoil of being a teenager. This story deals with the themes of love, career and personal fulfillment.
Shlok is a teenager who decides to prepare for the medical entrance examination as per the wishes of his parents. This book throws light on how parents let their children's lives be ruled by their expectations from the child. It puts a lot of undue pressure on him/her to perform even when he/she is not interested to pursue it. Shlok is never asked what he wants from life. Nevertheless, he works sincerely towards achieving the dreams of his parents. However, he is disappointed as his hard work does not yield the anticipated results. An innocent teenage love story also runs parallel between Shlok and his neighbour Natasha. Just when he is about to lose faith in his abilities, an unexpected twist takes place in his life and what happens next turns out to be for the best. The whole story is written in first person from the point of view of Shlok. I felt that it would have been better to have alternate chapters with the narration by Shlok and Natasha. This book is well written with no major grammar or spelling mistakes. It puts across the message that we should never give up even when faced with adverse scenarios in life. The friendship between Shlok and Yana could have been developed a little more. In between the book, I was a little bored as the story became repetitive. Most of the events in the book have been described very realistically and with very little unnecessary dramatization. We learn the importance of planning for our future and at the same time not losing heart when things do not turn out the way we want them to. It is a good motivational read for students who are still figuring out what they want from their lives.
Rating : 3.5/5
Name Of The Book : Sunshine Town
Author : Maniissh Aroraa
Publisher : Peacock Books
Year : 2018
Category : Fiction
Review :
Shlok, a lanky teenager, a daydreamer, doesn't want much from his life. A dream to make his parents happy and affection of his neighbour sweetheart, Natasha. Though both are poles apart, their interests bring them close. Together, they experience new emotion. But, just when they are ready to acknowledge their feelings of love for each other, it is too late. The rapids of life set Shlok on an unexpected journey, and he realizes one can't always be in control of circumstances. Unable to crack an important entrance exam and geographical difficulties affecting his love life, Shlok's life goes through turbulent times. All the while, his faith in God ebbs and flows, but like a wave, it ends up breaking on the shore before returning to the sea. He is confronted with a perennial question - am I good enough for anything? Holding a mirror to himself, he is faced with a decision to give upon everything he thought was right for him. Set in Varanasi, a city in North India, during the late 90s, before the pervasiveness of technology, Sunshine Town is about the aspirations and emotional turmoil of being a teenager. This story deals with the themes of love, career and personal fulfillment.
Shlok is a teenager who decides to prepare for the medical entrance examination as per the wishes of his parents. This book throws light on how parents let their children's lives be ruled by their expectations from the child. It puts a lot of undue pressure on him/her to perform even when he/she is not interested to pursue it. Shlok is never asked what he wants from life. Nevertheless, he works sincerely towards achieving the dreams of his parents. However, he is disappointed as his hard work does not yield the anticipated results. An innocent teenage love story also runs parallel between Shlok and his neighbour Natasha. Just when he is about to lose faith in his abilities, an unexpected twist takes place in his life and what happens next turns out to be for the best. The whole story is written in first person from the point of view of Shlok. I felt that it would have been better to have alternate chapters with the narration by Shlok and Natasha. This book is well written with no major grammar or spelling mistakes. It puts across the message that we should never give up even when faced with adverse scenarios in life. The friendship between Shlok and Yana could have been developed a little more. In between the book, I was a little bored as the story became repetitive. Most of the events in the book have been described very realistically and with very little unnecessary dramatization. We learn the importance of planning for our future and at the same time not losing heart when things do not turn out the way we want them to. It is a good motivational read for students who are still figuring out what they want from their lives.
Rating : 3.5/5