This is an appeal to all Punekars.
Hitesha Deshpande has lived and breathed pune for most of her life, so it isn't really surprising when the protagonist of her debut novel chooses Pune as his 'alma-city' in order to explore life away from his small town. "Knots and No Crosses" is a hilariously gripping novel about the marital plight of a thirty something single male! Check out the site http://knotsandnocrosses.com/ for more details on the book, reader's reviews etc.
The book is available at Sohrab Hall Crossword. Do check out the book and share your reviews on knotsandnocrosses at gmail dot com. We shall put your reviews up on the site.
Cheers
Vivek
Excerpt:
"The woman he had no intentions of loving, but who he did love, hopelessly. The woman he had no intentions of dating, but had ended up committing himself to. The woman who had always been four years older than him, but realized it only when she was about to hit London for a PG course.
The woman who had gotten into the car without looking back once, as he stood there on the empty streets outside the institute nursing a broken heart.
Patty, the woman who was today married to some investment banker and a mother of a four year old, who had somehow heard of his wedding and had decided to message him.
She sure deserved an invite."
Akkie’s relationships have followed a trial and error pattern. He finally meets the one woman who completes him. They both plan their ‘dream wedding’, only, the wedding turns out to be anything but a dream! As Akkie tries to placate his agitated bride three days before their wedding, his past catches up with him, spelling disaster after disaster. The crunching blow comes, when the son of his first ever girflriend calls Akkie ‘Papa’ in front of a room filled to capacity with the bride’s family. The wedding gets called off. But Akkie knows, there is no one else for him, but her…
Knots and No Crosses - Heartbreak after heartbreak, he still dreams of a perfect wedding...
by Hitesha Deshpande
Reviews:
"Gosh! I never knew the plight of a marriageable young man who, like so many women of his age, still believes in falling in love and dream weddings. Hitesha brings a fresh perspective by a mere twist in gender.
This book stands as a lone voice calling attention to the miseries of thirty something unmarried Indian men still optimistic about finding a soul-mate and braving the emotional onslaught from family, friends and the world in general.
It is hilarious, well researched, fresh in concept and immensely contemporary."
- Prapti Banerjee, Calcutta based, Manager at Aanand Bazaar Patrika
"This is one of the very few books that I have read end to end in a go, from the title, tagline to the epilogue. Just could not take it out of my hands until I saw Akkie finally getting blissfully married to...a perfect life partner.
The way the plot has been woven is truly fascinating. The crisp narration catapulting the reader back and forth in time forces you to stay put and look forward to what will be next. Such captivating storytelling is no mean feet and its hard to believe that this is the author's debut attempt.
One striking thing about the writing style is the way the entire book creates pictures in your mind. The way typical behavioral traits have been outlined it makes you feel as though you are going through a motion picture. I could visualize in my thoughts Radha, Aartee, Zareen, the drooling toddler, even the aunty from Sydney and the confused faces of family on seeing the 50 kgs marigold.
Were it in my hands I would love to make a movie out of this book but am not sure if a movie can do justice to the fun of reading this book !!!!
Am really looking forward to the next book from Hitesha
."- Aarti Rathi Soni, Consultant at Accenture, Avid reader of modern Indian Fiction