Book details
Title – Can A Girl And A Boy Be Just
Friends?
Author – Sumrit Shahi
Genre – Fiction
Publisher – Rupa Publications Pvt. Ltd.
No of pages – 235
Main characters – Aaryan, Boza Corbi, Ishita,
Tanie, Sumer
Supporting characters – Shazia, Karan, Kabir, Batra. Rehaan
Book Blurb
He knows
everything about her, right from her favorite books to her favorite bra. She
knows everything about him, right from his favorite soccer club to his favorite
x rated websites. He will complete her English homework, even at three in the
night. She will arrange an Armani suit for him, even if it calls for flirting
with ugly guys. He has her picture in his wallet. She has his number on speed
dial. They discuss everything from periods to play station. They have tasted
alcohol and then thrown up...together. They have bunked countless tuitions...
together. They can’t live without each other. YET They don't love each other.
They are JUST FRIENDS...
My Review
After a
long time, I read something light-hearted, refreshing and wittiest read that also gave me a nostalgic feel about
school life.
Just
Friends is a story about Aaryan and his best friend Boza Corbi. It also
revolves around Tanie and Sumer. Author Sumrit Shahi has done a fabulous job by
jotting down a simple yet breezy story with some of the funniest incidences in
between the pages of it.
From
the first page of the story to till the end of this book, I found a lot of
funny incidents described in a light-hearted manner with easy dialogues.
Dialogues like “She laughed, I laughed,
problem solved” you could easily relate yourself as a teenager with such
dialogues.
Further, in
232 pages author effortlessly tells two different stories about two different
individuals. The characters are usually from the high class family background
and so are their manners dealing with relationships.
The first
story is about Aaryan, a seventeen-year-old with lots of ex-girlfriends and a
popular guy in a boarding school of Gurgaon. He falls in love with Ishita, a
student from Singapore. He meets her at MUN. He tries hard to impress her. At
first, she doesn’t show any interest but eventually gives in. However, she
realizes that the long distance relationship wouldn’t work for them and tries
to distance herself from him. Aaryan is devastated with her behavior and soon
falls in depression. On the other hand, his best friend, Boza keeps him encouraged
for his love to Ishita. Boza is secretly in love with Aaryan but she never
shows it. She would go to any extent to keep him happy by sacrificing her own
happiness. They both are really close friends.
It is
Aaryan to discover whether they are just friends or more than that.
The second
story is about Tanie and Sumer (though I bet you wouldn’t enjoy this part of
the story). He is her new neighbor. They soon become best of friends. She is
madly in love with Rehaan whereas Sumer shares a long distance relationship
with Liaka.
Unfortunately,
neither Sumer’s relationship with Liaka works out nor does Tanie’s. When Tanie
is heart-broken, Sumer does everything possible to keep her happy. Sumer starts
loving Tanie but she is unsure about her feelings for him.
It’s
interesting to know how the author has effortlessly managed to weave two
different stories in a single novel packed with a lot of rhymed lines, short
poems and funny one-liners. The novel has a lot of funny incidents with the
sexual overtone that makes a book not suitable for all age groups.
Two friends
and their relationships isn’t a new formula but the author has certainly made
the plot interesting and fun to read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book,
especially author impressed me with his unmistakable humor.
Who
wouldn’t enjoy serious stories all the time?
Author has
justified each role with his simplistic manner of writing. By the time you read
5-6 pages you know all the characters very well. A teenage love story yet
extremely unique from the ones you’ve read in the past!
The Best Part
Simple plot
backed by wittiest one-liners, incidents, breezy poems and rhymed paragraphs.
The No-So Good Part
None!
The writing style
Author’s
writing style is very easy, relatable to the common audience and free-flowing.
I simply enjoyed the writing style and I couldn’t resist myself from noticing
and making a list of them. Below are some of the paragraphs and dialogues that
you shouldn’t miss:
“When the
auditorium is dark,
The
audience will bark.”
“Damn
Kabir, damn Boza, damn Shazia – they all could wait. I had just offered her the
bait.”
“I pressed
Sumer’s bell, I mean his doorbell and seconds later Aarti aunty opened the
door.”
“He rubbed
his hairy thigh and asked, ‘Why?’ He got up and started walking towards the
kitchen. ‘Will you have something?’
A fan and a
rope. ‘Nothing,’ I said.”
“You… you
sleepster,” I shouted into the phone. It was just 1.30 a.m. and this guy wanted
to sleep when his best friend was about to weep.”
“Damsels
and dramatics go hand in hand.”
“Listen
Sumber, I am not fucking mad that I have been calling you like a fucking… a
fucking… a fucking….’
‘Chocolate,’
Megha added from behind and I repeated without thinking what I was saying.
‘Sorry,’ Megha held her ears as I shot her a dirty look.”
The book
cover & the title
The title
is very apt given the plot of the novel. The book cover isn’t enticing but
works.
My rating 5/5
I strongly
recommend this book for all the adults who were once a teenager. A quick,
humorous read for sure!
About the author
 |
| Author Samrit Shahi |
Sumrit
Shahi, a twenty-four-years-old, is one of the youngest bestselling authors in
the country. He wrote his first novel at the age of seventeen which became a
bestseller, followed by his other novels, Never Kiss Your Best Friend and A Lot
Like Love… A Li’l Like Chocolate.
Sumrit is
also a screenwriter and has written for six-youth based shows including Sadda
Haq: My Life, My Choice on Channel V India. He has won many awards and has been
listed Top 30 under 30 young achievers in the country by Hindustan Times,
terming him as a ‘Writing Rockstar Of The Young.’
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