Booky Sundays || The Boy Who Loved (Review)

Hello everyone!

How are y’all today? Hope you had a fun Sunday. I don’t even know where the weekend went! I’ve already read more than 15 books in 2018! Talk about a good start for my book goals *pointedly ignores towering pile of  TBR*. How are your book goals for this year coming along? And are there any Marvel fans out here? I just saw Black Panther today and ooooh it was amazing!! I know a bookish post might not be the best place to discuss a film… But BLACK PANTHER!! I absolutely cannot wait for Infinity War!

Moving on… This is the first ever Booky Sunday post even though I announced it a long time ago (oopsie) in this post. I finally managed to suppress my procrastinating tendancies for a bit just long enough to get this post out so yayy! Anyway, my post is gonna be a book review!! The book is called The Boy Who Loved (which is a title I love!) and I really loved this book… Maybe not the best I read this year but definitely in the top 5. So without further ado here it is!

Heartbreaking, dark and twisted, The Boy Who Loved is the first part of the duo-logy written by the famous Indian author Durjoy Datta. With The Boy Who Loved, Durjoy Datta, best known as an Indian novelist, screenwriter and entrepreneur, has foraged into a bit more darker kind of romance novels. Published by Penguin Books India it came out in May 2017.

At first glance the cover is absolutely gorgeous and really suits the story’s theme. Reading the blurb, I found it to be instantly intriguing. The story describes the life of Raghu, a 16 year old boy living in the depths of New Delhi. But his life is not that of an ordinary teenager. He harbors a dark secret – the death of his best friend which he witnessed and did nothing to stop. He pushes away everyone in his life and he doesn’t trust himself to have another friend again. But when Brahmi, a girl just like him, comes into his life unexpectedly he finds himself starting to wish for a friendship again.

The Plot

Although the main plot of the book is Raghu’s story it also has many subplots that come together with the main story beautifully. And the fact that it wasn’t all too much and wasn’t too confusing is also a great thing. The story didn’t really lag much. Some parts were a bit predictable but it made the overall dark theme of the book richer. Like all books which will have a sequel it does end on a cliffhanger which makes sure that you HAVE to read the next book The Boy With The Broken Heart. 

The Characters 

I read in a Goodreads review that all the characters were a different shade of grey. I almost agree with this except for Raghu’s brother. He was the bright radiant colour among the shades of grey. (And NO this has no connection AT ALL to Fifty Shades of Grey). Raghu himself was a dark shade with Brahmi a good match for him. Broken people were the most common in this book. There were actually quite a few characters in the book but they were all memorable. Each of them have their own flaws which is what makes the story much more better. 

The Writing

What I loved most was that the perspective of Raghu was so well written that we forget we’re reading a book and this is just something the author wrote. This story is written as Raghu’s journal and it really does feel like we’re reading this boy’s journal, his words, his emotions. The story does have a way of addressing a deep rooted problem in India about the hate between Hindus and Muslims through this book which makes the reader think about it. All things considered it was a pretty good book. 

So what did you think about that? Would you read this book? I definitely would recommend it to you. What book are you currently reading and would you have any suggestions about what I should post next? Let me know in the comments!

~Sithara⭐