THE HEART ASKS PLEASURE FIRST BY KARUNA EZARA PARIKH

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BOOK NAME: THE HEART ASKS PLEASURE FIRST

AUTHOR NAME: KARUNA EZARA PARIKH

GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION

PUBLISHER: PANMACMILLAN INDIA 

BOOK BUY LINK: https://amzn.in/d/7QsShpH


BOOK COVER IMAGE



BOOK REVIEW

My God! God bless this book and the hands that wrote it. The moment I saw this book in a bookstore, I knew I had to read it. I had no idea what it was about, but still, I wanted to read it so badly. And I am glad I trusted my instincts and picked it up. Honestly, we don't pick the books we read. It's them who pick us and I trust it now.


This book is about three young immigrants in the UK and their forbidden relationship that simply cannot be. Daya, an Indian ballet student in a British dance academy, meets Aaftab, a young Pakistani lawyer, by chance. Wasim, Aaftab's roommate and a fellow Pakistani friend joins their mess to be caught in a series of misfortunes that arise due to their identities. A love that transcends borders, a friendship that dissolves religious differences, a brotherhood that overcomes betrayal in the name of religion - will all of this crumble in a moment's time? That, my friends, is the story of Daya, Aaftab and Wasim, which mirrors the current state of the religious and political affairs in the world.


I don't know where to even start with this book. This complete reflection of the current state of affairs is all we need at this time. For someone to put a mirror onto our faces for us to see exactly what we are and introspect on it. This book tears down the ideology of the masked radicals across all religions and brings to light the struggles of people who falter yet stay human. 


Daya was like an early morning breeze - fresh, light, poignant and full of life. Her longing and her unrequited love for Aaftab, who she knows can never be hers, aches to the bones, leaving one feeling a lot of things for her. Aaftab, though my least favourite for keeping Daya in pain all the time, was also equally alluring and fresh. Wasim has to be my absolute favourite of them all. He made me smile, shed tears of joy and sorrow, agape amusedly and love wholeheartedly whenever he appeared in the book. 


The portions which had Daya's parents' stories were equally good. Daya and Asha are classic women written by a woman who express themselves and their unrelenting love fearlessly. The only problem one might encounter is that the stories keep flipping between past and present, as well as between the trio and Daya's parents. It isn't that confusing, either. But All I would say is "read this book now"!



MY REVIEW: 5/5

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel

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