Book Review: Nalanda - Until We Meet Again
What's the story
Multi-genre fictions are always interesting, especially if the major theme screams romantic thriller. Gautaam Borah's newest book Nalanda - Until We Meet Again is a captivating tale of vengeance, romance, and an ancient mystery. It is all about a nice love story turning into a mind-bending comprehensive tale of crime, corporate politics, mystery, time travel, and karma. Here's what we think about the book.
Author
About the author
Gautaam Borah is a senior management professional and author of Monetising Innovation. Nalanda - Until We Meet Again is his second book that was launched by Ruskin Bond. During the launch, Bond praised the book, "Nalanda can become a movie and touches upon the aspect of life where one comes across elements like search, adventure, love, crime, loss, happiness, time, intuition, the unknown, etc."
Beginning
How the story begins
The story begins in a cinematic way - a man wakes up in the presence of a sage and searches for a woman. Then emerges the romantic tale of two Indian students - Neil and Aanchal, in the backdrop of Oxford University. However, things change quickly, and we find ourselves yearning to solve a mystery. The layered fiction seamlessly transitions between Nalanda and Oxford.
Story
The crux of the matter
When they return to India, Aanchal joins an NGO and Neil a telecom company, and as destiny fares, they lose touch. While Neil becomes a part of ruthless corporate politics, Aanchal vanishes from his life. Neil soon realizes that he must travel to Nalanda to complete a much more crucial task in order to bring Aanchal back into his life.
Characters
Relatable characters stay with you
The main characters in the story are well-described, rounded, and relatable. Neil finding Aanchal's Hinglish speaking cute and the two meeting for study dates are some nuances of sweet character development. Also, things would have seemed bland, without Aanchal's controlling politician father. Just the way you need a compelling storyline and main characters, you also need a strong opposition to weave an interesting story.
Verdict
An enjoyable read indeed
The first few chapters are not very speedy, but it picks up the pace soon after. Despite very simple writing, the book manages to be a page-turner. This multi-genre fiction can easily be adapted into a web series. Bonus: As the book ends on a cliffhanger, there may be a sequel. (It will only fuel our desire to watch the story unfold in motion.)