You Never Know - Book Review

You Never Know
By Akash Verma
Review By Ila Garg

You Never Know, a novel by Akash Verma, is published by Penguin Random House India. The cover is so apt; you will realise this after reading the book. With a backdrop of red—which is a colour of love, rage, fury, blood and hell. It’s tagline—sometimes love can drag you through hell—says a lot about the plot. With such an interesting cover, I was sure it would not disappoint me.

Akash Verma is an entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of two internet start-ups in the fashion and food sectors. Prior to this, he was in the corporate sector, in organizations such as Coca-Cola, Big FM and Red FM. His work has taken him across the country and he uses this experience to give context to his stories. He has authored three books till now: It Happened That Night, Three Times Loser and A Broken Man. This is his fourth one. Akash is currently based out of Gurgaon, India. He is also interested cinema, literature, history and travel.

The blurb reads as, “There will be times when you feel you have the best relationship, ever. There will be times when it will be the worst that has happened to you. There will be times when you know you are getting into something terrible; something that will not stop till it destroys you. And yet . . . You will be pulled into it so inextricably, unstoppably . . . Dhruv knew Anuradha was his true love. So, despite being married with kids, he still went ahead with their affair. He hid it from his wife and his colleagues. He told lies so he could be with her—it was that amazing! But he couldn't save himself from the dark secret she was keeping. It pulled him into a vortex of danger so deep that he lost all he had. It happened to him and if you think it can't happen to you—think again.”

Falling under the genre of a romantic thriller, Akash Verma’s You Never Know revolves around the lives of Dhruv, Shalini and Anuradha. The story begins in Mussoorie and then goes to Dehradoon. The hill stations thus form the romantic backdrop giving the novel a free flow of words of love throughout. However, the mystery is built as the reader reaches the middle of the book. Dhruv is married to Shalini but is still in love with Anuradha so much so that he falls in a trap unknowingly.

The language is amazing and kept simple and easy to comprehend for the readers. From the first line of the book I was in awe! The lucidity of the story is commendable. The description of Mussoorie and Dehradoon are very artistically done. The use of lyrics is wonderful too.

Who is Dhruv, who is Shalini, who is Anuradha, how Dhruv meets Anuradha, how he falls for her despite being married, will Shalini find out about it, how will Dhruv deal with this extra-marital affair, how Anuradha would prove fatal to him are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in You Never Know.

This 240-page book is a light read, especially during travel it can be a good companion. From A Broken Man to You Never Know, the author has progressed considerably. I wish Akash Verma all the best for his future endeavours.

Ratings: 4/5

Buying Link: Amazon