In this short novel,18-year-old Kritika, falls in love over social media with a boy she hasn’t seen for ten years but has never forgotten.
Kritika Gautam is a college student in London. She’s attractive, rich, and super-confident—certain she will never need to make the first move to attract a boyfriend. But when she receives a friend request from a boy she knew at school in India when she was eight years old, Kritika’s poise crumbles. As they strike up a friendship, she finds herself emotional, uncertain, and perhaps even in love.
Author Pulkit exploits all the difficulties inherent in a long-distance, texting relationship. Kritika and her unnamed friend live in different time zones and have friends and studying commitments that distract them from the business of communicating with each other. Worry creeps in. Is he online or not? How long does it take him to reply? Are they saying what they mean, or misinterpreting each other?
As a main character, however, Kritika is flawed and unlikeable. She’s arrogant and repeatedly rude to family and friends. At times, she uses strong language, for example: “What the f*** is this dumbf*** playing at?” Oddly, though, her talk can also be formal and stilted; no believable 18-year-old girl would describe a heart emoji as “the bright red shape, which resembled the backside of a woman bent over.”
If Kritika’s personality is often objectionable, her unnamed admirer fares worse, with no personality at all beyond an unfathomable patience for her pettiness and emotional unavailability.
A final dramatic twist turns this thin tale on its head, but the shock finale leaves more unexplained than clarified.
Overall, this story has potential but is ultimately let down by weak characterizations that fail to engage readers.
Also available as an ebook.
