After marrying Sameer, her childhood love, Priya gets a job
in Delhi. Subsequently, they shift to Delhi from their home town Kanpur. Sameer
is highly ambitious and wants to make a career in modelling. As a struggler he
sustains on the income earned by Priya. Their relationship sours when Sameer
ditches and dumps her for a well-established top model Jessica and starts to
live with her. Then, she happens to meet Abhimanyu, a cousin of her friend
Komal. He instantly falls for her and the story begins.
Being attracted towards a married woman, Abhimanyu is warned
and becomes a bit apprehensive about the future of this relationship. On the
other hand, keeping in view of her marital status, though on rocks, Priya too
is not very enthusiastic about her future with Abhi, at least till the case of
her divorce is settled. This is a story of love, hate, vengeance, jealousy,
compromises and compulsions. Whether Priya and Abhi manage to turn the tide in
their favor, read Take 2 by Ruchi Singh, published by Author’s Ink
Publications, Rohtak.
Pros:
The strongest point of this novel is its narration. Though
the story is simple having not much twists and turns and runs in linear
fashion, its language has made it extremely interesting. The command of the
authoress over the language impresses and even sometimes hypnotizes the reader
for a spellbound reading. The novel is edited perfectly and typed with
dexterity leaving no space for spelling or grammar mistakes. Congratulations!
Cons:
The story is so simple that at times it generates a tad
disinterest in the mind of a reader. I wouldn’t say that it drags, but
certainly it slows down as nothing much happens between the protagonists;
courtesy to their war of nerves. The subplot, when Abhimanyu is falsely trapped
by his colleague Vikram on the pretext of causing a serious roadside accident to
him, is loosely knit, technically erroneous and fails to convince the reader
beyond reasonable comprehension. Accidents are police cases and need immediate
medical examination of the injured person in a government hospital and neither
the police nor the doctors are so naïve not to judge the cocks-and-bull story of
a person who pretends as seriously injured that he stays in comma for two days,
not even when bribed.
Final Take:
Ruchi Singh has done a commendable job by presenting a
simple story in a very crispy and lucid language and I look forward for more
books from her pen. Best of luck!
An excerpt from Take 2 :
“A wave of regret and sorrow moved on his face. He caught
hold of her arms and jerked her against him. She gasped. Plastering her against
him, he kissed her, as if there’s no tomorrow. Then he pushed her free, as if
she was a piece of smoldering coal and stormed out of the house, slamming the door
shut.” Page 140.
New words I learned:
Beanpole, Eon, Balk, Chignon, Muss, Brocade, Sweet-nothings and Chagrin
Rating: 3.5/5
By Rajeev Pundir
