A broken man is Akash Verma’s latest book. I must confess
that I have never read any of the author’s work before so I was very excited to
read this one.
The cover is pretty enticing, with the outline of a man in
the foreground, head bowed, hands in his pocket, what immediately grabs your
attention is the burst of colour within the outline. A perfect visual
representaion of the protagonist Krishna Kumar.
A gripping story of a Dalit boy, Krishna Kumar struggling in a society that is constantly
trying to pull him back and show him his place, in the social hierarchy and what
follows when he falls in love with a Brahmin girl Chhavi Mishra. Akash Verma intricately
weaves politics, the glittering world of advertising and the glamorous film
industry to his tale.
However it’s the beautiful verses in devnagiri that make
their appearance throughout the book that come as a surprise. In an age where
Hinglish is slowly becoming the popular mode of communication, finding verses like these in chaste Hindi are an
absolute delight. Add to it a very generous sprinkling of stories at opportune
moments in the book and the surprise element just keeps rising.
At the face if it, A Broken Man may seem like a rags to
riches tale but it’s much more than that. Verma’s protagonist is someone that you can relate to, someone that you may
have known, seen on TV or read about,
his hardships are equally real. Verma’s writing also reflects the beauty of the
two cities that make the backdrop of this story.
For those tired of the run of the mill, same looking boy
meets girl love story and are looking for different (the good kind), I highly
recommend A Broken Man. It’s a quick read and fast paced, perfect for the road
or in the metro.
P.S : This book was received in exchange for a fair and unbiased review from Writersmelon.