The Boy Who Loved by Durjoy Datta Review
“Oh my heart is broken”, well this is what I felt when I read the last words of the book The Boy Who Loved by Durjoy Datta. I was shocked and crying like “the boy” in the story.
No Durjoy Datta for Many Years
I am not a fan of Durjoy Datta’s writing and seldom picks up his books. He writes typical the Bollywood kind of novels with a girl and boy, their chemistry and a twist. That’s it. He used to write books in fixed format. But I must say this book is different and stunningly awesome.
Similar to Perks of being a Wallflower
If you have read and loved Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, you will love this one as well. The Boy Who Loved is written with the similar structure and format. That is, the novel has been written in the form of a diary.
Of course the story line of both the books is different, but both the books has lots of surprises and turns of event in the story with shocking climax. Both the books raise a social issues. Suicide tendencies among teenagers in the case of The Boy Who Loved.
Blurb
The story is about a teenage boy Raghu, who started developing suicidal tendencies after the death of his best friend Shami. But he again feels like living when he meets Brahmi. Unfortunately, due to turns of event, both are standing at the edge of the building ready to jump. What led to this? Read to find out. I won’t tell you.
Burning Issues
The novel has been set against a typical middle-class orthodox Bengali household, which is to some extent authentic and close to reality. The author himself is a Bengali, so he knows how Bengali household runs.
Apart from the problems of growing up teenagers and how they trot on the path of suicide, the author has explored many other issues through this story like extremely conservative parents who wants to control each and every step of their children, for them children are investment, interfaith marriage and their problems, teenage physical abuse, friendship and relationship.
Durjoy Datta has also touched upon one more burning issue that of religion conversion. I can’t understand how the conversion in faith changes an individual mindset and beliefs.
I am misty eyed
Melancholy of two young hearts desperately searching for hope, searching for someone who would understand their inner turmoils, when fails to find support their mind start toying with the idea of ending everything once and for all. All this has been written in the most heartfelt manner.
We all can relate to the teenagers of the novel. We want to be with our parents yet crave for freedom. We love our parents yet cannot overlook their hypocrisy anymore, we don’t want to hurt them yet accepting their beliefs and prejudices are too much for us. All these things are portrayed very well in the book.
The Verdict
Durjoy Datta has, no doubt, grown up as an author. He has moved away from his fixed format of usual love story with sexual exploration and a twist. And look, what a stunner he has penned.
