It’s not easy to imitate Chetan Bhagat, as Judy Balan proves in this debut novel inspired by the best-selling <i >Two States</i>
The plot seems fresh and engrossing enough, especially at the start when the young couple is desperately seeking a divorce, flying in the face of opposition from their families. But Balan fails to bring either the situation or the characters to life. Deepika wants a divorce from Rishi for stealing her dream of becoming a writer and because he snores too loudly. Rishi finds her a nag. They have sex, go on holidays, bicker, leaving you unconvinced that they really do want a divorce.
Indeed, Balan herself appears not entirely convinced about the couple’s estrangement, glossing over the divorce in a few pages, and leapfrogging to a new chapter in their marital saga. As it turns out, all that is needed to save their marriage was for him to get nose strips to stop snoring. I didn’t think it would happen, but this book has almost convinced me of Bhagat’s hidden depths!