Book Review: You & Me and our relationship

You have heard about Lovology- oh! Ya- some popular Hindi song might have made you sing it loud if you happen to locate your teens in the 90s. Nikhil Mukhija is all set to theorize reasons of attraction- beyond friends, clueless caring and all that sprinting heartbeats in his debut book “ You And Me-Our Relationship”.

Love is in the air of modern Indian writing- the tug of war among the novice is all about YOUR love hate relationship in between a flashy cover. Nikhil, a few of months back, told me, - “Nopes! Don’t count me in that group- ‘m trying to build a hypothesis- bringing in psychology working behind all possible love stories”. Is “ You And Me -Our Relationship” a guy guide book- teaching you the way to listen to the changing beats of your heart, when she looks at you, crosses the street, waves at you-blah, blah- not entirely- both the genders get help from this youth new age writer love guru. It is more like a casual psychiatrist speaking to you- while both of you take a stroll in the evening- as you flip through- you don’t actually feel suffocated by the rules, bullet points, case studies and the progressing narration.

Once you flip through the book you will know that it is a self help book wrapped in an unlikely package. It is unconventional and witty. The author writes about the male perception of love as well as that of a female without sounding condescending towards either. There are snippets in the book that you can actually identify with and laugh your heart out. Nikhil Mukhija scores high on innovation. The book is fresh and doesn’t bore the reader forcing them to cite the overused phrase “old wine in a new bottle.” But all this is applicable only when you pick up the book and go through the pages. Sadly neither the author nor the publisher has given a single thought to presentation. The book cover is drab and depressing. The name is even worse. So even if the book is refreshing it is likely to remain in the shelves. But that said, it surely is one book- you can pick up- for your shy roommate lost trying his luck with his dream girl at college.

Author: Nikhil Mukhija
ISBN: 8183520251
ISBN-13: 9788183520256,978-
8183520256
Binding: Paperback
Published: 2012
Publisher: Mahaveer Publishers
Pages: 216
language: English

(as published in the taunt pen- August's special issue)