The current Indian fiction writing is running into the age of betrayal where covers and tittles are there to mislead the readers. In a way, you can see something on the cover of a novel and try to form a picture of the content inside. However, those practices where authors (and their cover designers) used to be sensible have already died. Today, everyone indulged in the business of writing is inspired to generate sensation in the readers and leave them excited to somehow buy the book with a few chapters added in a symphony with the cover and the rest is history… The attractive images, title and blurbs are hollow from inside. A reader finds himself frustrated with the content that fails to feel the pain, anguish, joy, sadness, euphoria. The storytelling has become usual exercises for some writers even they don’t have any story to tell. You may have guessed (and should have already known) that I am writing about This is Not Your Story by Savi Sharma. Let’s get into the book review and deconstruct the novel. I am sure that many readers for many Indian Book Review Sites have already reviewed the book and I am late into the party. However, now that I am here, I will do what I do the best!

This is Not Your Story is a novel by Savi Sharma. Her first novel Everyone Has a Story to Tell becomes a bestseller and she has written the same thing here with a new title. First, I don’t know why she is so obsessed with the word story even her stories has nothing to offer the readers – this may be a blunt remark to make but it needs to be made. The content has become so boring that readers of repute cannot navigate so convincingly without being frustrated.

Read More (link opens in new window): Savi Sharma

This is a story of ambition, failure and struggle of different characters. Shaurya is the leading character who is aiming to go to Mumbai to be a filmmaker. Miraya, an interior designer and Anubhav an ambitious entrepreneur also feature in the book. These are the main characters of the novel and most of the story revolves around them. In a short emphasis, the novel tries to play the role of a motivational book that it miserably fails to do!

In her first novel, she also used the same kind of characterisation where everyone has something inside their heart that they want to follow but due to certain compulsion they failed to do so. The same set of the story is plotted here in a different style and again in a childish language. By childish, I mean a standard language of fiction that one should pursue as a novelist. However, on the other hand, one cannot deny that this is the language that resonates with the readers of the day and Savi Sharma may be justified in using what she has used. Nevertheless, this makes sure that she loses a big set of readers, the serious ones. Moving further, she is lacking genuinely in ideas to create something new. When Shaurya fails to go to Mumbai due to compulsion from his parents, he started the course fo CA. So, her interest is reflected in the novel as well because she has done CA her characters must do CA. And this certainly tantamounts to subjectivity which is not bad but not good either…

Moreover, the major frustrating part that I find in the novel is an apologetic script where most of the characters have some bad experiences in the past and they use to tell each other but fail to convince the readers due to pathetic dialogue delivery. Like, Anubhav has lost his parents and he becomes alcoholic and disgrace to his company. The same kind of rant you can find in all of her novels. So, what are you up to, Savi Sharma? Are you here to tell the readers that one should lose all the morality and courage to live life with one or two tragedies?

She is supposed to connect with the readers by an interesting storyline where characters are not living their life but they compelled to do so. However, her poor writing style made it even worse and frustrating experiences for the readers to endure it. This novel is for the readers who have already read her and liked her writing somehow. Otherwise, new readers will find it daunting to go through this work of fiction and to be honest, really, This is Not Your Story!

I will not say this a one time read. If you are free then you must go for any other novels rather than wasting your time reading this novel. In reality, This is not your story by Savi Sharma has nothing to offer to the reader nor it presents anyone’s story in a meaningful way.

You can buy this book from Amazon. Click the link below

Buy the novel – click to buy from Amazon

review by Suraj Gupta