Durjoy Datta is one of the big names in the list of contemporary Indian writers. His novels are more or less based on themes of problems of youths, depression and harassment. However, on the cover page, you find all these things written otherwise in the story you will seldom find anything that will make a long-lasting effect. Today I am talking about his novel ‘The Boy Who Loved’ is a nice novel with good intention. However, having a good intention can not create a masterpiece you need to write in that manner. Unfortunately, Durjoy Datta with all his good intentions fails to deliver the message what he has started in the book.

This is a story o unexpected realities that you have to face at a certain time in your life. Raghu is the central protagonist of the novel who belongs to a middle-class family and a vision to study in IIT. Brahmi is another leading character with whom Raghu falls in love. The story continues with their hollow rhetorics that never reach any conclusion. Raghu is having a guilt consciousness of drowning his closet friend in the school’s swimming pool. He has punished himself so hard for this and remains isolated from the outer world for a long time. But you never hide away form love. It will happen unexpectedly and without any reason.
From the start of the novel, Raghu often uses to commit suicide and it continues till the last. The author has tried to create a scenario where readers will feel the pain for Raghu but unfortunately, his writings are not mature enough to provide any kind of feeling to readers. He has tried to create any empathy for his character but instead of this, he should be more focused on building these characters. There is no sequence in the events of the novel you will feel frustrated after reading this.
The plot is pretty weak and the story is fractured. The author is not concerned with making his novel a good one rather than concern about making his characters so depressed so they can generate sympathy for them. Being depressed is one thing; forcing the readers to take the flat characters as depressed is a different matter.
The author has failed miserably to make this novel lively and appealing. Though he has tried to touch the themes of anxiety and depression in the youths but fails miserably by his immature writing skill. With his flat and cardboard character, he seldom able to generate a response from the readers. Whether the characters are in depression or not but on a serious note you can go to depression if you take this novel seriously and read ti cover to cover.

Book review by Kamlesh