Book Review

Chocolate_Guitar_Momos
By Kenny Deori Basumatary
Tranquebar
Rs. 200

Never judge a book by its cover. Well, in this case, that’s exactly what I did. Completely intrigued by the name, it was no surprise that I dropped what I was reading and began skimming through the pages of my new fixation. The book kicks off with the protagonist Joseph, a struggling musician, getting dumped by his third girlfriend, after a five-year-long relationship. What transpires next is Joseph’s downward spiral into depression and self-pity, followed by a wild goose chase of a girl he believes to be his soul-mate, hilariously presented by Basumatary. Though he misses his mark on strong character development, there are some amusing individuals we come across – Joseph and his friends, Moon the Internet Café owner and even Babu the bodyguard-cum-driver. He merely paints rough sketches of the persons they are, especially Joseph. I would have preferred a more compelling personality in the protagonist. After all, a story is only as strong as its characters.

An emotional rollercoaster entwined with back-stabbing friends, match-making sessions and an overly romantic male character is somewhat reflective of the chic-lit genre but Chocolate_Guitar_Momos presents a guys version of a break-up and what it means to take a chance on someone else. Filled with pain and disappointment and interspersed with a few moments of happiness, the novel breaks its narrative with intermittent comic relief. The story of Joseph’s quest is a laugh riot, as he ‘pokes’ around on Facebook looking for his soul-mate. It makes a profound decree on love and how life is never how we expect it to turn out.

The book perfectly portrays Guwahati and the bordering states in the North East. Having grown up there, Basumatary is familiar with the place and the cravings of the Assamese youth. However, the ending is not what you might expect, in keeping with the optimistic tone of the story. One might wonder if the author himself is happy with how the novel turned out. Honestly, it looks like he rushed through the last few pages, maybe in his hurry to meet a publishing deadline but the urgency in which he ends the novel is a clear indication that there is still a long way for Basumatary to go. Maybe he did not have a Pulitzer in mind when he set out to write this.

My take 

Read it for some frivolous fun and interesting anecdotes on travelling in the North East. Chocolate_Giutar_Momos makes for a fun read but plays out more like a light-hearted travel guide considering Basumatary’s familiarity with the place.

By Charlene Flanagan