When Only Love Remains by Durjoy Datta (Book Review- 2*/5)!!!

        Durjoy Datta's 10th book gets released on 20th June, 2014. I pre-ordered it on Flipkart and they delivered it to me before noon on its release day. Impressive! Durjoy Datta has been one author who is quite famous among girls, specially. Youth looks forward to his books because he has kept giving them hope that they'll find themselves having sex with the hottest girl of their college. But from last 2-3 books, Durjoy have totally refrained himself from writing sex. And since then, I have started finding his writing more creative and wondrous. His latest book "When Only Love Remains" comes after a very long time since his 9th release with a very elegant and peaceful cover page. Expectations has been rising since then. And now when I have kept the book aside after completing it, I am quite disappointed. 

   

           You must have heard books getting adapted into movies but this time, it's the other way around. "When Only Love Remains" is nothing but the scripted version of "Aashiqui 2". Yes. Believe me. Indian authors start their career from writing cheesy love stories to sexual flavors and then some sensible stories based on characterization of every protagonist. Durjoy Datta seems to be walking the road from the other end. He started with stories based on sex, then moved towards characterization and now, he is writing books that are "Aashiqui 2" of literature. 

       

   Book starts off well showing us the extreme passion Avanti has towards this singer who is a bit famous on Facebook and Youtube- Devrat. In the alternative chapters, author discusses Devrat's life which is how we portray singers and writers usually- depressive, lonely, drug-addicts and aggressive. Like Aashiqui-2, the singer Devrat also has a friend-cum-secretary, Sumit, who tries to bring him back to life while Devrat is not serious about his singing assignments. First half keeps discussing how Avanti dreams to meet him one day and go mad but finally, when it happens, it is so underwhelming that you are disappointed at the moment itself. Still you continue with the hope that there would be a great love story ahead. But alas! 

         The whole second half is based in hospital and there's not much after this. It's all about hopes, cries, prayers, wishes etc. Author tries hard to add excitement and life even in the second half by introducing characters but he couldn't do much with the plot that has no scope to entertain its readers. Similar stories have been published not once but infinite times. It's okay that author tries to display emotions of both the characters with each sentence that he writes but unfortunately, that does not increase the pace of the story. This plot is good for short story of 4000-5000 words but for a novel of 278 pages... A BIG NO!

         Last few pages are what I was expecting from the whole book but that was the least I could have complained after getting what I needed throughout. That letter by Devrat is something that will make you cry. The scene when Devrat's thumb moves is another scene that will excite you. Because this is the only twist in the whole book. Also the scene when Avanti injects Devrat is an epic paragraph. The last 5-6 pages finally proves why this book is a copy of Aashiqui 2. But the only best thing about this book is that it ends up making its reader smile againt the way it kept trying right from second half to make them weep yet again and again. I will give this book 2/5. Because it is the same old story repeated again, this time by the author who we wait for. 

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 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!