Sometimes in life there comes a moment when you feel completely lost. The things which should have gone your way spiral out of control and that is where you whiff defeat and desperation. Author Varun Gautam in his book "The Symbol" tries to measure the hard strides of life through a microscopic and mythical view. So is he successful in creating that aura? Let's find out.
A perfectly written script goes awry when Arjun encounters the unexpected. His belief in occult injustice solidifies when he, on one hand, fails to clear the much coveted IMS entrance exam and on the other hand, his friend Mohan gets more than what he deserved in life. Unable to cope up with this unfairness, he becomes directionless. With no way forward and some strained relations, he reaches the peak of monotony in his life and has nowhere to draw his inspiration from. One day suddenly he gets hold of a device called The Symbol which promises to solve all his problems.
Can The Symbol help him come out of his woes?
Will he be able to rise above the so called injustice and prove his mettle?
It is a journey that takes a peek into finding a new perspective and chartering inspiration from unknown territories, where none was thought to have existed.
First look at the title and the cover and a reader can get lost in the maze of symbols and encrypted writings. So much so for the cover even the title hints at what is going to be part of the book. The blurb talks about a young boy who struggles to get hold of his life and how journey of his life takes turns to lend him a hand of solace and despair. A good blurb with only a limited view to get an idea of the story.
The story is of Arjun, who is young and reckless and is headed nowhere. His life is surrounded with goals and burdens which never seem to ease out. But then a chance comes by and it all comes down to a circle when everything with him goes upswing and he tries to catch hold of it. So will he really be able to turn it around? Will life offer a homecoming to Arjun? That's what the story is all about.
The crisp narration and very few glimpses of a nice story are the only saviors of the story. Simple narration can also be added to the already lost glory.
The downside of the book is it's ever dull and faltering story line. Time and again the author relies on world cup excerpts to give story an edge, but it fails to ignite passion and it fells flat. The branch of some respite snaps as it takes a monotonous shape and the failure and struggles turn out to be dud affair by the end of the book. There is no purpose in the first half as most of it is lost in booze and unnecessary jealousy. Character driven story is completely amiss.
All in all the book is a pale offering and fails to savor the excite the reader. It tries to turn around the lost cause by offering a different touch, but that is where it all goes pale. The story could have lent a more meaningful purpose as the outlook looks completely misleading and strangely there is no befitting finish to it either. A very average book.
RATINGS:
2 OUT OF 5
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