Call Me Saaya by Zoe M (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

I am not a fan of books which are published only as e-books and do not have paperback version of them because you always must experience them digitally and can never hold them or get your hands upon them while cleaning your shelves and flashing back into the memories you had about the book. But whenever a book has a great content, despite it being an e-book, it ends up staying in my memory more than many paperbacks that I have read in last one decade. The recent book that I have just finished while getting back from office in local train on my big screen mobile is debutante, Zoe M’s “Call Me Saaya”.

When I had first read the name of this book, I had taken it up as some horror stuff because the word “Saaya” is most prominently used in such references only. But this book is more based upon romance genre and family drama. While reading the book, I regularly felt as if I am reading some script of a Bollywood movie which has every masala in it which ensures that the couple are falling in love with each other and then getting away and again coming together again to fall apart. And then in climax multiple dramas happening and, in the end, something happens which makes you clap, whistle alongwith feeling emotional about the turmoil the characters have gone to experience and be with each other. Call Me Saaya is exactly this stuff.

The book is based in Rajasthan and authoress ensures that she keeps the touch of the same. Basically, in the first half of the book when the couple are going places together, the way localities is described is wonderful. The characterization is so wonderfully done in the story that you can relate with each of the characters and understand their mindset. Even the characters like Rana Singh who enters in the last quarter of the book leaves their mark. Shamsher and Saaya are very nicely portrayed as two different personalities completely. The twist and turns that come in the end of the first half of the book is a magical moment for the readers which changes the complete pace of the book. And after that, the book becomes more interesting as you want to know what happens with the characters and will they forgive each other.

Talking about the drawbacks, the USP of this book is the dramatical representation of scenes which sounds like a scene directly out from Bollywood movie. But there are few scenes which are too overdone and starts becoming irritating after a point of time. The book becomes quite predictable in the 2^nd half and it needed little twists and turns even there. Even the other relationship portrayal of Shamsher that has been included in the 2^nd half could have been kept as suspense even for the readers because revealing the secret to the readers does not make it any exciting thereafter.

Overall, the book took me some 4.5 hours to finish and is a great rollercoaster ride. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!