Book Review : Half Girlfriend By Chetan Bhagat

Whenever we form an opinion about something or pass a judgement on something one thing is essential to do so in all fairness. That one unavoidable ingredient is the yardstick by which we measure. It would be unfair to judge this books in comparison with the ones in the league of the novel writers such as Tolkien ,Jordan or even the Nicholas Sparks who have their own distinct styles and ways of story-telling. But to review something which falls in the category of the popcorn fiction, we need a different yardstick. This yardstick should not measure the complexity of the words or the beautification of the prose but it should be judged on the most basic criterion that is associated with ‘pop-corn’, which is how much engaged one become while reading the book. This book is not the elaborate meal for the gourmand, but rather a simple snack for the commoners. It’s something like the bedtime stories of the princes and the fair maidens overcoming different difficulties to be together in soul.

Rather than focusing on the social issues in this book, Mr. Bhagat has concentrated more on the story that needed a beautiful telling. Unlike his few earlier books it was not a mirror to the ugliness of the social evils in the society but did have sprinkles of such issues.To say in fewer words the matters of the heart made sure the heart of the Book is in the right place.

Plot:

There is not much to discuss about the plot of this books without spoiling the fun for those who are reading it or will be reading it. It is the story of Ria and Madhav discovering love and also the meaning of their lives with time. Also in the background were the various stereotypes of education, money, language and society that we try so hard to cling to.

But what is there to talk about is the subtlety with which the Books shows us the pre-conceived notions we have about people belonging to some backward areas of the country, the red tape faced by the education sector in the country due to the selfishness of the politicians such as Mr.Ojha in the novel. But the conversation between Madhav and the Rural Surpanch also touching upon the points better discussed in Scarcity by Mullainathan and Shafir.( read struggle for survival more important than things like education).

The way in which different people define love is somewhat we should all take notice of. Love being a noble emotion can manifest itself in form of physical attraction or the fondness we develop for someone due to their thoughts. What becomes important is to know how committed one person is to it.

There are some funny parts too where the Main Character Madhav wonders about the state of the world had the industrial revolution taken place in the hinterlands of Bihar. The awkwardness of Madhav and efforts of his hostel pals to figure out their place in the world of English-speaking geniuses also shows us the divide we have created among our own countrymen by adopting elitist tendencies. Both in terms of way we communicate and thoughts we think.

There are a few lines that made me crack up like the few below

"An army of intellectual men cannot solve the riddle created by an indecisive woman. My limited –experience panel struggled for words."

"Even the grass grew in English"'

I agree there are few cliches on the lines of “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus” sorts, highlighting how men remain always a step behind when it comes to understanding the fairer sex. Also for most of the part it seemed like a guy trying to sleep with a girl story.  And the part having Bill Gates foundation and “Stay Hungry and stay foolish” speech by Steve Jobs as some part of the story is a deliberate plot by the Author to add some pop culture references just to make it a bit chic.

Many would call its story a crossover between 40-year-old virgin’s desperateness and the search for true love after the debauchery from Bollywood cocktail with a pinch of some melodrama. Considering the fact that the title made me think that maybe it is about the friends with benefits or some similar theme.It turned out to be a love story instead was pleasant surprise.

There is a lot of predictability, dragging and typical ending but still for a popcorn fiction’s worth it was not a bad read. It’s a paisa-wasool Novel as expected.

Here is the final report card:

Rating : 2.7/5 .

What’s Hot:

1. Easy to read ( 2-2.5 hrs of uninterrupted reading).


2. Cleaner story and maybe more focussed of story telling than social issues.


3. Cheek in mouth humour at times.

What’s Not :

1. Typical Chetan Bhagat Type Narration.


2. Predictable end.


3. Too Many clichés.

Recommended ?

Yes, it’s a short read anyways. Chetan Bhagat is like Salman Khan of Indian Novels. You can hate him or love him but you can’t ignore him. And chances are you might see it as a Bollywood movie soon. ( Rumour says Ekta Kapoor is producing it.....go figure).