#BookReview: Imaginary Friend - Stephen Chbosky

Rating:

3.5/5 Book Emojis

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Format Used: 

Paperback

Publisher - Hachette India 

Pages - 706

*Note: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher Hachette India, for an honest review. The views below are unbiased and solely my own.

Review:

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky is a coming of age novel about a boy named Christopher who experiences paranormal "hallucinations" after he moves out of Michigan with his mother Kate. Along with the people in his area, friends and enemies, he finds out some things about an unfortunate reality of the town. 

The characters in this story are very well out there but the way that the story itself is executed is quite disheartening. The opening chapters of the book are very flowy and smooth but as soon as you finish 40%, you start to understand that the author is having a great difficulty in connecting the dots to reach an ending. It is very apparent for me as a writer to see that Chbosky himself may not know what the ending would be because the occurrences in the story are amateur-ly loose ended and random in an underwhelming attempt to keep the reader hooked. 



I really felt the familiar warmth of Stranger Things through the story but in just the core plot strategy. The writing style in the first 10 chapters gave me an inspiration to write as well. I personally don't mind book lengths. The thicker the better, trust me. But the disorganised uncertainty in plot weaving left me disappointed in the potential of the author of my favourite book.

Conclusion: I personally found this book to be a great time killer for my exam season metro rides but wouldn't recommend to someone who is in a dire need of good young adult horror reads.

#BookReview: Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

Rating:

5/5 Book Emojis

Format Used: 

Paperback

Publisher - Penguin 

Pages - 334

Review:

"...that you should never give yourself a chance to fall apart because, when you do, it becomes a tendency and it happens over and over again. You must practice staying strong, instead."

I read this book on my sabbatical after ending up with two copies gifted by two different publishers in this decade. To be very honest, I can say that reading this while backpacking across the streets of NorthEast India changed my life. I was in between Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet, on the foothills of Mount Everest, meditating with monks in ancient monasteries. All during which, this book I held in my hands, giving me a sense of purpose and a greater meaning to all of my doubts.

There were such amazing quotable portions that I ended up asking the cabin crew to get me a new pen to underline. I was reading these life lessons to the amazing travellers I met along the way. 

Definitely wouldn't recommend this book to someone who just wants to sit at home and read it because that defies the purpose of this gem. It had such a grounding, yet uplifting effect just because I was travelling solo to rediscover my lost self due to so much loss of love and loved ones this year. I'm grateful for everything since I came back home and I hope to be in this state of mind till I'm alive. Sheer bliss. :)

#BookReview: De Profundis and Other Prison Writings - Oscar Wilde

~mini review~

Rating:

4/5 Book Emojis

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Format Used: 

Paperback

Publisher - Penguin Classics 

Pages - 266

Review:

"...but Nature, whose sweet rains fall on unjust and just alike, will have clefts in the rocks where I may hide, and secret valleys in whose silence I may weep undisturbed. She will hang the night with stars so that I may walk abroad in the darkness without stumbling, and send the wind over my footprints so that none may track me to my hurt: she will cleanse me in great waters, and with bitter herbs make me whole."

It was a delight as well as an honour to read one of the most iconic breakup letters of all time. Wilde loses his charm and a portion of his literary brilliance with the passage of brutal time in prison. However, the essence of his philosophically artistic mind remains intact and can be felt by a reader who is willing to see it.

There are times when he uses wit, elaborates on his pain and uses accusations to project the pain he’s facing because of Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde doesn’t hesitate in constantly reminding him (and sometimes even exaggerating with supreme elegance and metaphors) of the maladies he has and will have outside of prison.

At times, he uses Greek words, Latinian dictate, precise punctuation, Italian references and French phrases to “show-off” his knowledge and to belittle Bosie. He also says that he’s not religious anymore but goes on to glorify Christ’s role in being a role model for romanticism and passion.

Conclusion: Definitely recommend it to every fan of Wilde.

#BookReview: Giovanni's Room - James Baldwin

Rating:

3.5/5 Book Emojis

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Format Used: 

Paperback

Publisher - Penguin Books 

Pages - 150

Review:

"I scarcely know how to describe that room. It became, in a way, every room I had ever been in and every room I find myself in hereafter will remind me of Giovanni’s room."

Giovanni‘s Room is a book about an American man named David who decides to move to Paris to start a new life. One day, in a mutual friend’s bar, he meets this Italian bartender named Giovanni and feels things he otherwise considered sinful and immoral. Through the course of the book, we see David’s journey and acceptance of his desires and we see how things with Giovanni take an unexpected turn affecting David’s life in unfortunate ways. 

I took up this book after accepting recommendations on queer classics through the centuries. James Baldwin, a black American man who provided his support for the Gay Liberation and Civil Rights Movement, is easily considered an iconic voice otherwise marginalised. He lived for a notable period in Paris and this experience is beautifully captured in the book. 

I personally felt that this book, like Oscar Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Gray, was casually sexist. Though maybe not true to the perceptions of the author, but very illustrative of the mindset of the gay community who grew spiteful of women after being expected to have relations with them in a highly heteronormative society. 

Conclusion: I really liked it mostly because it is very reflective of one of my own past relationship with this particular person and how things don’t always go right even when there is attraction between the two people.

#Review: An American Marriage - Tayari Jones

Rating:

4/5 Book Emojis

Format Used: 

Paperback

Publisher - HarperCollins India 

Pages - 308

*Note: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher HarperCollins India, for an honest review. The views below are unbiased and solely my own.

Review:

"The vast generosity of women is a mysterious tunnel, and nobody knows where it leads. The writing on the walls spells out trick questions, and as a man, you must know that you cannot reason your way out."

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones is a novel about a newlywed couple- Celestial and Roy. Through a series of events, Roy is incarcerated and the couple is left struggling to find balance and stability. When Roy is back, everything about his life has changed, including the one outside. We find out will he be able to find his place in the world or not. 


This is a more than just contemporary fiction. This is powerful literature about black lives in the 21st century and everything that’s wrong with the system. This is a family drama and a good one at that. It gives you unsettling and warm feelings throughout the book that don’t let you put it down. Tayari sure knows how to pen her words to perfectly encapsulate real feelings of fictional people with life-like problems that unfortunately aren’t widely brought to limelight. Our current world is whitewashed and the media portrays it that way too, missing out on the reality of the lives of PoC. She is well known for writing books on/about Atlanta and everything about the southern American life.

The story was really good, though not perfect, and the execution was immaculate. I honestly felt the pace of the ending didn’t match the rest of the book and I also wished to be able to highlighting quotable lines, which there weren’t many.

CONCLUSION: Do I think this book was extremely perfect? No. But do I think you all should read it for it’s warmth and realness? BIG YES.

#Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

Rating:

5/5 Book Emojis

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Format Used: 

Paperback

Publisher - Penguin Classics 

Pages - 253

*Note: I bought a copy of this book with my own money and no publisher commissioned me to read it. The views below are solely my own.

Review:

"It was his beauty that had ruined him, his beauty and the youth that he had prayed for."

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a story written by Oscar Wilde for the July 1890 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine about a painter named Basil Hallward whose life crosses with a handsome man named Dorian Gray whom he idealises for his beauty, artistic features and youth. Basil’s friend Lord Henry Wotton is curious of the man who had such an impact on the works of his friends and meets with him. Henry interests Dorian with his philosophical perspective of the world and his cynics towards intellect. Dorian is moved by Henry’s thoughts on how youth and beauty is all vanity and should be celebrated before one loses it to aging. 

Through this book, we see how Dorian tries to escape losing his beauty that was portrayed in a painting by Basil that make him lose his touch with morality.

Soon after its release, the story was widely criticised for its subtle but significant hints of homosexual tension. Though, quite a few people appreciate it for it’s high intellect and psychological backdrop. The concept of art and beauty is very well talked about and Wilde doesn’t leave a single opportunity to elaborate his views and to project the depths of his mind to the readers.

The writing style is extremely iconic and the literary devices used are phenomenally executed. There’s no better person to write such a story than Oscar Wilde that shaped the Decandence Movement into what it was for England and for the rest of the world. 

CONCLUSION:  I definitely recommend this book to every person who understands the true essence of English literature and perceives philosophy well. A masterpiece for all intellectuals!

#Review: The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides

Rating:

 + 

5/5 Book Emojis (SHOOK)

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Format Used: 

Paperback

Publisher - Hachette India 

Pages - 352

*Note: I received a review copy of this book to participate in the Read-Along hosted by Hachette India. The views below are solely my own.

Review:

"Once you name something, it stops you seeing all of it, or why it matters. You focus on the word; which is just the tiniest part, really, the tip of an iceberg."

The Silent Patient is the debut novel of the screenwriter Alex Michaelides. It is the story of a famous painter, Alicia Berenson, who allegedly shot her husband Gabriel five times in the face and then never spoke a word again. Then, there's Theo Faber, a forensic psychotherapist who joins the psychiatric unit, The Grove, where Alicia is under treatment. He believes that he can make her speak again and bring the truth to life.

The plot is extremely well paced to the point that I not even once lost my interest, no matter how many sittings I took to finish it. The writing style is very good for a debut novel. What I liked best about the book was how the author incorporated the Greek tragedy Alcestis in relation to the story and beautifully devoured it with his characters. It was very twisted and dark which is something that a lot of people seek these days. Every concept of psychology, psychopathology and psychotherapy used is immaculate and brilliantly brought to use. Most quotes used in the book are by the founding fathers of psychology and quite the dark ones by them, one must say.


The chapters are simply perfect in length and the literary devices used are absolutely impeccable. It doesn't matter if this is your first psychological thriller book, it will blow your mind away the same way it did for me. The ending is so poetic and so visual that the reader can't help but take pauses to react and fully absorb what just happened. 


CONCLUSION: This book is timeless and I'm sure it will be enjoyed by generations to come. Definitely my most favorite book so far of this year and one of my all time favorites. Highly recommend!

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#Review: Rosie Loves Jack - Mel Darbon

Rating: 

3.5/5 Book Emojis!

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Format Used:

Paperback

Publisher - HarperCollins India

Pages - 336

 *Note - I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins India in exchange for an honest review. The views below are solely my own. 

Review:

"Why is it different? Is it cos I have Down's syndrome? Down's syndrome isn't me. I am Rose."

 Rosie Loves Jack is a fiction novel written in first person having a protagonist named Rosie, a teenager with Down's syndrome. It's a narrative of how this one girl doesn't let her disability get in the way of reaching her boyfriend Jack across London to Brighton facing a lot of challenges across the way. The entire book is an adventure-packed ride through the eyes of a special girl who simply wants to be able love someone without any struggles. 


I'm a Clinical Psychology major who has dealt with cases of Down's. As a matter of fact, I had one such case while I was reading the book. So, I can definitely say that the way Rosie has been voiced is very appropriate. 

The book has a lot of notes and postcards from the male lead which is quite adorable as well as smartly edited. The writing style is above average which is fine for the age group this book is meant for. There were scenes of humor, romance as well as drama. However, I really missed some significant and quotable lines which could've really blessed the potential of this story. 

Through the course of the book, one learns how in spite of our differences, we all seek love the same even if it comes in various forms. The ending was good but not very moving as I expected. 

CONCLUSION: I liked this book and would recommend it to people to help with the ignorance around those with intellectual disabilities. It's a light, fun read which is no harm to just breeze through on a nice winter day. 

#Review: A Separate Peace - John Knowles

Rating: 

2/5 Book Emojis

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Format(s) Used-

Paperback

Publisher - Simon & Schuster India

Pages - 2018

Audiobook

Publisher - Recorded Books

Length - 6h 34m

Note: I received a free copy for an honest review from the publisher (Simon and Schuster, India).

Review:

 "There was no harm in taking aim, even if the target was a dream." 

A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a classic coming-of-age novel about a boy named Gene Forrester who, in the summer of 1942, goes about making memories worth cherishing. But, it isn't that simple. In an impulsive moment, everything changes between his life and the life of Phineas "Finny".

The writing style is only slightly above average and doesn't leave a mark with its uniqueness. The chapters are long and pretty abstract at times. Knowles sets the perfect backdrop of the World War in relation with the schooling but there is no flow to the story. It doesn't take a philosopher to understand the underlying schemes and depth of the story. 

The story is extremely average and I personally don't see why it is celebrated so much as a classic. I really wished it were written better just to sugarcoat whatever strength lacked in the idea. 

CONCLUSION: I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone other than someone who's studying American literature.