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Book Review: Cross Connection by Preety Praveen

Cross Connection is a riveting romance novel by Preety Praveen. The 200 page novel begins with career aspirations in the medicine field for some students hailing from Punjab. As we delve deep into the novel, we see that the author shuttles the backdrop between Punjab and Tamil Nadu, clearly the sense of cross-culture is evident in the novel. If you are thinking there has been Chetan Bhagat’s 2 States based on the same lines, well that was a different story altogether. This is something new and previously unheard of.


The lead character is Simar. She wanted to pursue a career in medical – probably running after MBBS. In the search of a career and fate in the same, with approval from her family, she gets admission in a college in Salem. Imagine from Punjab to Tamil Nadu…thousands of miles away from home and parents. Well, after some tussle, she secures admission in BDS. But still she is happy.

From Punjab she is not alone, to her company there are some more: Inder, Harjeet, and Roop. They try to get into a group presumably, but things turn awry when Roop causes some trouble and all the blame falls on innocent Simar. Hereafter she is heartbroken, looks for some refuge in others – students from different states as her state mates distanced themselves.

When Simar shifts to girls’ hostel, she gets a wonderful friend in the form of Ridhi. Here onwards, she gets to learn more about coping up in a new environment. She and other girls get into a scuffle with some rowdy boys. The author has brilliantly presented the college-days fun and felicity. Student politics, ragging, exams, peer pressure, in fact whatever possibly can happen during a good college time, is all there in the work. This college phase of fun and mirth makes the novel an easy read and high on entertainment.

The other lead character in the novel is Naveen. He is from engineering department. He is initially shown as rowdy – ready to take fights and all. Simar and Naveen come face-to-face many a time and the air fills up with tension. However, girls come up with a better plan to fool Naveen and his gang. Their misdemeanors and misadventures reach a point that Simar and Naveen begin feeling something for each other. Probably, that feeling of something is called love. After this point, the novel is purely a romantic stint.

The most time-testing love stories are those that take place well before their time i.e. in the case of Simar and Naveen, they are in college, have to finish studies, look for a career, and of course at this time no parents think of a haste marriage. The Indian society doesn’t accept love stories so easily, same goes for these lovers. And to add fat in the fire, they are from different states and holds separate cultural beliefs. In fact, their religions were different as well. With so many complexities, can their love rise above all the barriers? To know, one must pick up this novel.

From teenage masti to a point of serious marriage, can anyone believe their story? Though intense at snatches, the love story is something that will linger in your mind even if you close the book. This is the first novel of Preety Praveen, well the way narration and pace of the story chugs ahead, it completely makes up a heady romance with many other auxiliary aspects like college days, friendships, infatuation, family melancholy, and much more.

Buy the copy from Amazon

Next Romance Read: Shades of Pink
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