Chick-lit for the boys has finally arrived. Kenny Deori Basumatary's first novel Chocolate_Guitar_Momos is a college/youth story with an interesting twist.
The story begins with Joseph, your boy-next-door and a struggling musician, getting kicked out of a relationship…again. This time, the break-up wasn't too kind, with his ‘ex' taking off with HIS friend that HE introduced to her, selling his bike and spending the money earned too. Joseph sinks into the predictable Devdas mode, fashionably called DevD, with typical symptoms of excessive drinking, unkempt hair, a five-day stubble and poor personal maintenance, not to forget the sad ballads he strums on his guitar.
Boy meets girl
His best friend and roommate Utpal hopes to wake him from his trance by pushing him to meet new girls. But Joseph has lost all hope until he decides to find his soul-mate: a girl in a grey skirt, whose face he doesn't remember, whom he met in a bus stop nine years ago.
The author uses social networking effectively to show Joseph's search through 400-odd girls. Utpal's scepticism and frequent snapping makes for an entertaining read. After what they feel is an eternity, the right girl is found.
Joseph preps himself up to meet the “girl of his dreams”, his soul-mate-to-be and all that… They meet, but she turns out to be a task-master and warns Joseph not to fall in love with her. Of course, Joseph is hopelessly smitten from the moment he lays eyes on her.
Nativity restored
The story is based in Guwahati, the author's home town. His familiarity with the city is evident in his writing.
Kenny breaks out of a stereotypical love story. The narrative has laugh-out-loud moments, written in a manner characteristic of the audience the author hoped to attract. The end is not quite what you expect but this quick read is a complete entertainment package.
Title:Chocolate_Guitar_Momos
Author:Kenny Deori Basumatary
Publisher:Tranquebar
Price:Rs. 200
Vishwadha is a II year BMS student at Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication.
