Internet
technology has dramatically changed our lives i.e. the way we communicate and
socialize through social media and chatting apps. It will be right to say that
internet technology fuels the overall plot of this light-hearted, witty,
contemporary novel.
‘Page 6 And Beyond’ by Hureen Saghar Gandhi is relatable and fun to read. The story is not
much about one peculiar character or plot; rather you will get into mesmerizing
experience that may pull you towards your long-lost school friends.
Well, coming
to the book and its allied features. We see that there is this Page 6. People
living in India must be familiar with Page 3 (Times of India) – a page for
celebrity gossip and news and so on.
The name Page
6 was inspired by the Page Six gossip section of the New York Post which is a
source of celebrity news, gossip, entertainment, pop culture, photos, video and
more. It was a spontaneously agreed upon name when our group of five decided to
take this scoop to the next level.
On the similar
inspiration, the author along with some close friends creates a Page 6 like
WhatsApp group (SXH School) for her high school friends. Thus, the book is
about day-to-day gossiping and conversation about school friends that are
scattered all across the world. The major part of the book revolves around this
chatting app. And we see that many amazing stories, anecdotes; memory bites
spring up from that WhatsApp group.
It happens,
when we are in school, we think of being one for all our life. However, as soon
as we get into college, our priorities take precedence over our childish
innocence, and after that we rarely meet but keep thinking about our school
days. Well, on the similar lines, here we have this book by Hureen Gandhi. The
author takes us on a journey…to time, to her past, and we also get a chance to
get introduced to her (52) schoolmates. You can easily relate to most of the
characters in the group. Their vulnerabilities and peculiarities with a coating
of humour will not shock you but keep you engaged, and at times you need to
catch the subtle messages to uncover the wits of each character. It gets
all-time entertaining and high during the time of historic US elections. Well,
it looks like every one's favourite episode; but the author tried her best to
put the debates/discussion in right sense of humour and in holistic
orientation. It was fun reading about hilarious Hillary vs. funny Trump.
Not to forget,
Illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are mind-blowing and augment the
overall creativity of the book. It also suggests that Hureen is a master
storyteller and knows well how to keep her audience/readers engaged and happy.
The novel
shuttles between past and present life of the author which helps us in getting
insight of cultural experiences of US, Europe, India and many other places. Did
you ever know that Burhanpur is the Venice of India?
Well, the
takeaway point from this amusingly adorable book is that we should be in touch
with people with whom we spent the golden days of our life i.e. school days.
The novel triggers a slew of emotions and sets you on a thrilling roller
coaster ride. All in all, Hureen’s writing style is lollapalooza.
Thank you Kevein Books and Reviews for such an awesome review for my book
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