Between Now and Forever - by Meera Shivashakar

This is my second attempt at giving my feedback for a novel. I am sticking to feedback as I am still a little wary of calling it a review, more so when the book in question is the fourth of the author. My doubts were partly laid to rest by the author who reached out and got my address to send a copy for my feedback. Thank you Meera Shivashankar for the lovely personal touch.

I liked the cover though after reading the book the couple on the cover looked alien to the story. The interesting cover font and the thoughtfulness of the handwritten note inside made me take up the book on priority. There were some nice touches in the start of the book with two forewords that were engaging and they spurred the interest in me. The foreword and the list of characters further piqued my interest.

The book is a quick read and took me 100 odd minutes but I will read it again to savour and soak in the beauty of the writing. There is some lovely wordplay throughout the book and some beautiful metaphors that have to be savoured. It is the fourth book and the assurance in the writing and the editing are visible. There were some lines that merited a second read and I think you should curl up in a cosy corner and read the book and savour the lines.

To avoid spoilers I will not go beyond the gist that is available online. It is a simple love story but it explores love beyond the simple man & woman to the love of parents, grandparents and much more. How can there be a love story without a villain and there is a villain in the story to take the story to the climax and here is the disappointment. The sting operation did not seem to have the necessary sting and maybe it was intended to avoid deflecting the attention from the simple love story that is the essence of the book. I am not a big fan of the first person narrative and this was another positive for me personally in the book. Also the writing makes you feel that you are in Darjeeling (if that is possible) with Aikya being a character in the book.

The inevitable all ends well ties up all the loose ends & you almost expect the villain to make an entry as a new leaf.

This is a good book for those who like to read a simple uncomplicated love story that is told with lovely word play.