Five point someone started it, and well, it's got to take the blame.
Four days ago, when I last visited a bookstore, it was the last straw for my patience. I was browsing through the bookracks and there it was, rack full of those low priced, college romances written by ofcourse college goers. No, don't get me wrong.
I am not against that genre, but someow, ain't it stifling to see 7 books with the same theme releasing every month!? It's so typical that one look at the bookcover and you can predict the story in 5 mintues flat. "Don't judge a book by it's cover" is passe in this case.
A small town kid with lot's of grey matter, fulfills his family's ambition a.k.a Madhavan in 3 Idiots, (Give me some sunshine, give me some rain, give me another chance to grow up once again!) of making it to an engineering college. (Preferably IIT/DCE/NIT).
He's obviously a total geeky nerd: obese or extremely thin, well oiled hair, no sense of style, bata sandals, and ofcourse the quintissential glasses!
Then put him in a big city, with a girls college in the vicinity (preferably DU) and make him meet a pretty girl from the same college who is OBVIOUSLY a big city junkie/gucci girl.And, a feminist.
Throw in some parties/socials/fests, some random conversations, exchanging of phone numbers, texting/chatting on Facebook, making out in public places, some historic torturous moment of the past, and VOILA! what do you get?
A two monthbestseller, until the next one tags along.
In all this ruckus, hasn't the real college goer vanished? The image has been so staunchly published that I cringe everytime I see an IITian. (no offense!) The engineering guy has been reduced to a mere desperado looking for a girl to please his desires. The DU girl has been shrunk to a girl who just wants to have fun and spend money on clothes!
Aren't we (the college goers) beyond this!? We do get into the colleges we are in to make our careers first. The fun and frolic are just the garnishings on the main dish! An engineering student can be good looking/rich/and possess a sense of style. A DU girl ca be geeky/into her studies!How hard is it to adjust to this?I just fail to understand the logic behid this.
To top it all, some of the writes don't even possess the basic writing skills. Some of the titles are so ridiculuous that I have to reread them to make sure that my eyes are not decieving me.
"Ofcourse I love you..until I find someone better!"
Sorry, WHAT? Call me old fashioned, but isn't love a one time deal?
Future authors, I'd like to make an appeal: We readers are done with IITian meets LSR chick stories. Please churn out something new. It's a humble request!
Until then, I'll skip the much discussed bookrack, when I visit the bookstore once again!
4 comments:
thats a blatant truth, i hope the new age writers get this.
Read Vikas Swarup's roller coaster ride THE SIX SUSPECTS, that's 10 times faster and 20 times more interesting than 5.someone (and 5 times the price too)
Thankyou for your suggestion Aswin!
Why don't you write a book review for us, here?
on the same book?
I loved the way you said it!
when i was 15, i had this crazy for Indian authors cos i liked the every-person-can-relate-to-it storyline. then I got an overdose of it. now I have around of those engineering student books (which i haven't read) and Im giving them away to anyone who wants them :P
"stands up and raises her hand."
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