An academically excelling student from a small town chooses to pursue her dreams of studying in a reputable B-School. Struggling through the conundrums of adjusting and feeling accepted in big-city culture, she manages to reach a moment where her aspirations seem to have come alive. However, a debacle awaits her misfortune which not only shatters her dream but also leaves her traumatized. Surviving through it all, she is determined to avenge those who destroyed her life. Will she succeed in doing so? What will be the repercussions?
Regardless of how horrifying and shockingly disturbing the theme of the book is, 'I Had Also Loved Someone' by Nitish Raj is one story that leaves the readers grotesquely reflecting on the sick mentality we as an advanced society dwell in, and the epitome of beastly actions our human capacity harbours. How a spiral of ill-fate and unfortunate events emanating from these sick mentalities and beastly acts, end up creating monsters in return.
Quoting from the book as said by the bestselling author Mr. Novoneel Chakraborty, "Any debut author would have chosen a safer story to begin since building one's own readership is as important as telling a new story for an author". In his debut book, Nitish Raj chooses a sensitive topic with an elaborative description that boggles the brains of the readers and stirs up their souls disturbingly. Whereas the perfectly placed powerful punchlines are thought-provoking and leave the readers to introspect, a seamless flow of sequences keeps them hooked throughout.
As the readers grapple through the heart-wrenching turn of events; an emotionally charged letter from the protagonist's parents not only adds to the woes but also reflects the compelling and gruelling ordeal that the family of a rape victim undergoes.
Although the parents want to support their anguished child, and no matter how dearly they wish their daughter to stand up to the affliction, but underneath all the outer strength they portray, how weakened their own mind's bearing is due to the societal pressures.
When the story moves towards the second phase emerging from the sufferings and retaliating to a whole new set of revengeful sequences, the careful planning by the 'Deadly Duo' and their checklists of do's and don'ts form a creatively clever and interesting part of the narrative. Amidst the high ride of harrowing sentiments, the readers are left marvelling at the developmental aspects of the planning and execution of the plot.
As the story paces with full throttle, a grave concern continues to haunt both the readers and the protagonist, that despite everything, will the ugly truth of the society and its decaying mentality ever accept such a victim respectfully.
While most of the elements in the story are gripping, a few aspects like mannerism of storytelling, language, editing, etc., could have been more refined to enhance the essence of the story and remain conducive to all kinds of reading abilities. The plot could have been tightened without overlooking some important points.
Overall, the book steers its readers through a roller-coaster of innocent aspirations, budding romance, and a tremble of horrific incidents leading to a series of revengeful acts. Grab a copy to explore the heinous wrongdoings thrown at women in our society and that propels a series of vengeful occurrences that lead the victim to 'the grips of the law and judiciary from the balconies of the college'.
An HR-Turned-Author, Jyoti Jha is an MBA by qualification and has been associated with corporates like Infosys and Whirlpool in the past. After almost a decade of globe-trotting, she pursued her compelling passion of expressing through words and embarked upon the journey of exploring the field of literature.
An esteemed winner of 'The Times of India Write India Season 3', she has authored the books, 'The Realms of Human Emotions' and 'Around The World Through My Lens'. Writing for her is liberating, and she rejoices engrossing herself in tranquil moments of contemplations on literature and expressing them meaningfully and effectively. Ingrained with a literature-oriented upbringing, she aspires to enhance her self-awareness, keenly observe the world, and imbibe the elements of literature.
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