Book Review: Love, Loss, Life, Laughter and More by Ritu Kakar

Written as part of Blogchatter Book Review Program

Everyday Life Stories With A Twist

Love, Loss, Life, Laughter and More is a collection of 10 short stories by Ritu Kakar. The blurb about the author says “she tries to keep her stories as real as she can”. That is exactly what these stories are – real, everyday and identifiable to each of us.

They are about struggles and triumphs, about loss and victory but overall they are about a new beginning – the start of something promising. Though there is a common trend among the stories, there is something unique about each of them – a twist, a turn, a facet unexpected but welcome. Some stories are quirky meet cute, some are about emergence of a new life while some are hopeful new beginnings. I like the author’s grasp on emotions, how she builds up a story and her description of characters.

My favorite ones are Blind Date, My Beautiful Thief and Second Chance. Blind Date is about how love can be found in unlikely places – Vidhyut and Mishika’s interactions are witty and fun. Second Chance is how a woman throws off the shackles of tradition and society and stands up to her abusive in laws to begin a new chapter in her life. My Beautiful Thief is the standout, unexpected – you must read to find out more.

There are a few things which I did not like about the book. They were such that they took away from the enjoyment of the book to a large degree. A lot of the stories are too similar; it felt to me that they need not have been part of the same book. “Love Me Before You” bears striking resemblance to “Second Chances” and “B.O.B” is very similar to “Sex in the City”. Again, “One Memorable Night” is on the same tone as “Stolen Moments”. They are based against different backdrops but are too close to each other on the main theme. Secondly, the language. There are quite a few grammatical errors in this book. Bad english annoys me a great deal – there are tense issues, passive/active voice issues and mostly the “person” of the story. One line is in the third person while the next is in first person. That put me off a bit.

But all said, I do like the book and the stories themselves – these slice of life stories. Because, that is what life is – mostly same but one small thing which makes it unique for the individual. Do read for feel-good factor!