Finding Juliet
By Toffee (Taufeeq Ahmed)
Review By Ila Garg
Finding Juliet, a novel by Toffee (Taufeeq Ahmed), is published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors. The cover shows a handsome guy who seems to be a chocolate boy. He is popular with the girls and looks like a gen-Y guy with headphones around his neck.
Toffee is a simple guy who loves the complications of life. He used to write code by the day and books by the night earlier. But currently, he is busy writing assignments and chasing deadlines in his Master's in Business Analytics from the University of South Florida. Toffee loves narrating interesting stories with subtle insights. Through books, he wants to share beautiful stories, reach out to people and touch their hearts. Finding Juliet is his second book, written specially for India's Generation-Y. An Idiot, Placements and IntervYou was his literary debut.
The blurb reads as, “Arjun is an incredibly nice guy who believes in true love and is waiting for it with open arms. He falls in love, not once or twice, but thrice. And every single time, happiness – like the girls he fell for – comes very close to him before pushing him away. His only pillar of strength in all his moments of grief and dejection is his childhood friend Anjali. Dejected by the games played by girls and fate, he leaves Hyderabad for Bangalore and ends up meeting Krish, an irresistible flirt. He understands Arjun's predicament, pacifies him with his words and enlightens him about the most complicated species ever created by God – Women. And then, Arjun's life changes forever. Will Arjun find the one he has been waiting for, or will he end up becoming a flirt? Will he ever taste lasting happiness? Join Arjun as he tries to figure out women and discovers the meaning of love, lust and life… all in his journey of Finding Juliet.”
This is a story of Arjun, who is a very nice guy. He is a firm believer in true love and he falls in love; not once or twice, but thrice. You can find it almost like a Hindi masala movie (typical Bollywood stuff).
After three consecutive heartbreaks, he is obviously rendered hopeless. Anjali, who is his childhood best friend, remains with him throughout his journey. I was disappointed as there was nothing new or innovative about the plot. It was damn predictable. The only reason why I enjoyed the book despite the monotonous storyline is because of the interesting one-liners.
The story moves in a flow and nowhere will a reader feel any disconnect. I found it quite engaging from the perspective of its narrative. The language is easy to comprehend. However, some parts seem repetitive marring the reader-interest.
How Arjun fell in love one the other, how Anjali supported him, how Arjun’s desperation to find love landed him in a soup, who was Krish and how did he influence Arjun’s life, will Arjun be able to find his Juliet are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in Finding Juliet.
Further, this 224 page book is good enough to expose the modern day relationships which are too impulsive and therefore, lack the roots of commitment. What makes it stands out is the one-liners. However, the characterization could have been better; it looks very stagnant. Also, a dash of humour could have been added. Overall, it’s a light read.
Ratings: 3/5
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