When she smiled by Ritoban Chakrabarti - A book review

Today, when you go to a bookstore, you can find lots of books dealing with love during college years, the heart breaks and many more. Love at high school is so close to the above and the book, When she smiled by Ritoban Chakraborty.
It starts with the protagonist's return to his old school. The protagonist is Mrityunjoy Roy. He highly dislikes his name and feels antagonism towards it. He has been to the famous Sainik school and now, for his high school years, he is back to Shimla.

One thing that is constant in this book is the portrayal of Shimla. It felt like reading a travelogue account of Shimla by a visiting tourist. The author has greatly portrayed the hilly region and while reading, you could visualize the scenery before your eyes. The book features many walks by the main character.

The main protagonist is called, 'Roy' by his friends. Roy is back to his previous school and he fondly remembers his years at the school. He meets Akanksha at his physics tuition class, which he is forced to go. And he finds her at his school too.

He is immediately taken by her pretty smile and charm and he is ready to woo her anytime. As luck would have it, his close friend Raj knew her and after a slightly awkward introduction, Roy is completely in love. We could call it Puppy love.

Then follows a series of events, where Roy slowly grows close with Akanksha and she too reciprocates the fondness. The author has said it all with the beauty which could only be given by a puppy love. Roy's character is completely smitten and he wants to confess his feelings for her. But, her feelings towards him is not known by him.

A small fight follows and Akanksha is not talking to him. Roy feels miserable and tries everything to get her back. Then follows a mistake which he didn't intend and he gets punished severely.
This makes him feel embarrassed and he starts concentrating on his studies. Whether the Puppy love grew into something more or not? It completes the story.

For a book about high school love, it certainly was well written. The book is a said from the first person point of view by Roy.
Though it is a first person point of view, it is never monotonous. Roy is a person who always tries hard at everything. Though it sounds like a geek, his thoughts and actions are not in the view of a geek. In reality, he is forced to do what he does. That is the reality in many households in our country. But, his account of his strict father is scary, even to read. You feel the pain of the character. Once you empathize with him, you could understand his decisions and actions.
The ending was good and it doesn't follow the route of cliché.
Having completed it, you feel the effect of a good book.
The writing is simple and from the point of view of Roy, it is pretty good to read.
There was never a dull moment.
Rating : 7.5/10

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