By Karnika Gupta
Review By Ila Garg
Rab Rakha, a
novel by the debutant writer Karnika Gupta, is published by Author’s Empire
Publication. The cover is beautiful, pleasant to the eyes and it thoroughly
represents romance. However, I didn’t find it much appealing after reading the
book. The title is direct and attracts the readers.
Graduated
from Delhi University with a degree in Philosophy Honors, Karnika Gupta enjoys
dancing and listening to violin and Arabic music as much as writing and aspires
to learn Spanish in future. Rab Rakha marks
her literary debut.
The blurb reads as, “He
is charming, so very charming - Rab. He is a magician like Pied Piper; nobody
knows where he lives, for he has his own world. His feelings are pure; his
tears are like pearls in the sea. He is never alone yet he's lonely. He has a
heart of gold, but he speaks the truth. He wanders alone on the road; his
shadow is his best friend. He's searching for something and he's not aware of
it!
She is beautiful, so very
beautiful - Rakha. She lives in her dreams; she is a queen of hearts. She is a
storyteller; she lives in a castle of her own. Her words are magnetic; her
world is imaginary. She's a selfless bird who wishes to fly. Her heart is as
delicate as the petals of a daisy; she is her God's child. She's waiting for
someone and she's aware of it....!
He is a fish of his ocean; she is a bird
of her sky.
Can a fish and a bird fall in love?
They did and they are in love, but how
do they meet?
Rab Rakha is a soul-to-soul conversation
between the bird and the fish. Are you ready to explore the world of love
unknown to both of them?”
Rab Rakha, revolves
around a couple truly, deeply, madly in love. Rab and Rakha adore each other on
a devotional level. Their love surpasses it all and rises above the ordinary. They
are intoxicated by each other’s presence. Unlike other romantic fictions, Karnika’s
book take us on a roller coaster of emotions where we experience a whirlwind of
romance. This love saga is not taken forth in form of dialogues but the
authoress has given way to a new style of storytelling.
The story moves in a blog post kind of format and both the
characters strive to pour their hearts out in turns. Though the element of love
was profound in the book, yet the readers might feel it to be far-fetched as it
is risen to a surrealistic platform. It fails to sound real at times,
disconnecting the readers.
Their friend Meher is a great listener but Karnika could have
given her more space in the book. The story is narrated well, however it’s the
editing that left me disappointed. As a reader and a reviewer, I was unable to
comprehend several events due to the raw writing.
The ease of their love story and the way Rab and Rakha connected to each other quite instantly, the instrumental role that Meher played in their love tale, and how they acted as each other’s solace are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in Rab Rakha. Another reason that would keep you glued to this book would be the beauty with which Karnika has woven this love saga.
Further, this 186 page book is well written and moves beyond the
regular romance novels. It rises above the real, and enters in a surreal domain
– something that makes it stand out. It’s a light read and I could have easily
finished reading it in less than 2 hours if I wasn’t so busy with my other
projects. At some points it becomes dragging, though, especially for those who do
not enjoy romance fictions much as it offers an overdose of romance.
‘Yay’
Factors: The story line and the characters.
‘Nay’
Factors: The fact that it was an unedited script!
My Verdict: To find
out whether Rab and Rakha unite in the end or not, how they managed to be
perfect for each other, how they can be considered epitomes of romance, what
role Meher played in bringing them together, what happened to them and their
love story in the end; you will have to read the novel, Rab Rakha.
“RabRakha is one word, one life, one
breath, one world. Rab will always be alone without Rakha.”
Ratings: 3.5/5
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