- Reviewed by Varsha Singh
What happens when two opposites meet?
Especially girls, out of whom, one claims “I hate sex. I have never understood
all the fuss around this three-letter word.” whereas the other declares ‘I love
sex. I totally get all the fuss.” And what happens, when those two opposites
meet their opposites?
It results to be an intriguing affair,
indeed.
Rupa Publications’, Games Girls Play, by Aastha Atray Banan takes the girly things to a
new level.
The foremost question, this novel seeks
to explore is, that, can two independent single women in Mumbai, who couldn’t
have less in common, be friends? Well, the story tells it all.
Siya, a prudish girl, dreams of writing
a chick lit, which may turn a bestseller ‘as she thinks’ someday. Irony is that
her to-be book is about dating in Mumbai, an issue totally unfamiliar to her -
‘a virgin of 30 years’.
On the other hand, Natasha, a
professional photographer, is a happy go lucky and free spirited girl who lives
the life to fullest without any worries, rejecting the notion of taboos. For
her, sex is like food, essential to have regularly, wherever you go.
The story takes a roller-coaster ride,
when these two girls meet each other and end up being roomies leading further
with few (actually many) judgments towards each other, later few fights and
finally become foes to friends.
It’s their friendship and trust towards
each other, which changes their life. They explore each other, and in the
meantime, they explore love as well as life in each other’s’ way.
Aastha is adventurous in all contexts.
Her style of narration is as captivating as her characters. Her lucid language
is enough to lure her readers for a long time, as lures her plot.
This book of 201 pages is similar to
watching a film and can be read in a single go.
Once in mind, you can’t keep the book aside.
The characters are very easy to relate
with common youngsters of the current generation. You may find them all around. They love to watch and implement the rules of
Sex and the City but at the same
time, they are extremely touchy and sensitive by heart.
Aastha has been successful in her
journey of portraying her girls confident and makes them love themselves, the
way they are.
Vidya Balan on her take on this novel
says, “Wherever you look, there’s a Siya or a Natasha … Do you know who you
are? A must read for the new sexy Indian woman.” Indeed.
*First published in Reviews, Vol I, Issue 2.
About the Author
Aastha Atray Banan is a Delhi girl with
her head up in the clouds. No wonder writing romance comes easy to her. As a
journalist, for publications such as Tehelka and Open, she has written about
India and its many facets—right from movie stars to underprivileged Muslim
girls playing basketball. As a romance writer, she aims to write about
relatable love—you know, the kind we all feel. Currently an assistant editor at
Hindustan Times’s Sunday magazine, Brunch, she lives and dreams in Mumbai.
About the book
Paperback:
208 pages
Publisher:
Rupa Publication India;
First edition (7 November 2014)
Language:
English
ISBN-10:
8129124696
ISBN-13:
978-8129124692
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