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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Just Six Evenings by Tanmay Dubey : A Review

BOOK TITLE: Just Six Evenings
ISBN: 978-8129136817
AUTHOR: Tanmay Dubey
GENRE: Fiction
NUMBER OF PAGES: 224
FORMAT: Paperback
SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: I thank Sandeep Sharma and Tushti Bhatia of Author Paradise for this review copy.

SUMMARY:
What if the course of your life, and your love, is determined by just six evenings? Atul Shukla, a young, successful executive, has been arrested by the Gurgaon police. As he attempts to find some comfort in the dark confines of his cell, Atul revisits his life and the six evenings that changed its course. Eight years ago, while working in Bhopal, Atul had met the beautiful and intelligent Priya on a train, DDLJ style. When it turned out that she was in his city for only six days, he decided to woo her in that fleeting period of time. But fate had other plans in store, and Atul and Priya were torn apart by lust and betrayal, seemingly forever. Years later, Atul and Priya meet once again for six days, while they are both navigating the murky underbelly of the modern corporate world. And this time it's not just their love at stake, but their careers, and their future as well. Will Atul and Priya manage to give love a second chance? Or will corporate greed destroy their chance for a happy ending? Just Six Evenings is a modern-day tale of love, lust and ambition in a corporate India that shines at the expense of the dreams it tramples under its feet.

REVIEW:
Just Six Evenings – engaging if you like the style!

FIRST IMPRESSION:
The cover of the book, with a background of skyscrapers and the silhouette of two people walking hand in hand (the shadow maybe represents the second set of evenings – random reviewer thought) are expressive of how the book actually is. Muted, slightly engaging, and intriguing, without much fanfare. The summary seemed interesting.

REVIEW:
The opening of the story is similar to a popular Tamil movie. The image of a man in official suit being jailed and telling the tale how he got into the position is not new to me. But I liked the author’s execution of the same. Atul, small town guy goes on to make himself a name in the corporate jungle. On the train journey towards a newer lease of life, Atul meets Priya. Love blossoms and they get to know each other better.

Atul realises that him and Priya have very little time together (just six evenings, folks!) and he decides to woo her within this time. Needless to say (Note: spoilers ahead, skip to the next paragraph if you do not want some plot element to be revealed) he wins her over but promptly loses her again when his mind loses reason for a short burst of time and he behaves in a wayward manner. The ever professional Priya moves away and does not hear any word until fate puts them together again.

When fate offers him a second chance, Atul faces a dilemma. He ruined it the first time, of his own accord, and now fate has pitted him against the love of his life. But yet again, he is forced to deceive her for his own gains. Will he let go off his conscience and let his ethics succumb to the pressure? Or will he choose life and love over petty corporate victory? The answers to these questions are the rest of the story.

The plot is good. It is not unique, but not very predictable either. I loved the narration and there were many scenes or dialogues that appealed to me. The language is simple. Though the book needs editing and proof reading, there are still elements that attracted the reader in me. The book is like a movie you could watch one time, but will remember certain scenes from it long after you have come out of the theatre.

The story adheres to the summary and also makes sure it holds the readers’ interest. Overall, Just Six Evenings, despite its little faults, is one book that could tell you how corporate greed, cut throat competition and pure selfishness could ruin even the best of people.

Just Six Evenings is not only a romance read. It is the story of manipulative cut throat corporate world that makes people prey to the money minded culture and do without hesitation the crimes that were unthinkable a few years ago. The climax also shows how actually difficult it is to identify and punish those educated criminals who stop at nothing to achieve what they wanted.

Even if you are bored or thrown off course by the detailed corporate jargon in the book, don’t put this down. This book offers you a good perspective and a few valuable lessons. Go for it!

WHAT I LIKED:

  • The title and the plot.
  • The narration style.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

  • The ending lacked lustre.
  • Somehow, Atul, as a protagonist failed to elicit any kind of emotion from me – even the negatives. He brought out a sense of indifference and this is not a good trait for the main character of the book.

VERDICT:
While there isn’t anything you will terribly miss if you don’t read this book, but surely, if you do read it, you will be glad you did. And sometimes, just sometimes, when you put aside a moment’s reflection in this corporate jungle that everyone is a part of, you will realise that this book does offer some valuable bits of advice – albeit indirectly.

RATING: 3.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
An IT professional based in Gurgaon, Tanmay Dubey is a voracious reader and an avid storyteller. In a career spanning more than ten years, he has been fascinated by several aspects of the corporate world and this book is a result of those observations.When not busy spinning a yarn, Tanmay can be found reviewing latest Bollywood films on his popular Facebook page 'Tanmay's Movie Adda'. He is also an enthusiastic cyclist, a randonneur, and loves running marathons.

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback

PRICE: Rs. 127 for paperback.

BOOK LINKS: http://www.amazon.in/Just-Six-Evenings-Tanmay-Dubey/dp/8129136813

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