Cross Connection by Preety Praveen – Book Review

“I’m in love with Naveen. Damn it, I hated him so much. How could it even happen? No way.”

Well, the readers know everything from the beginning and they are sure that the novel will travel in this direction only. Preety Praveen’s debut novel, Cross Connection, has a wonderful storyline that reads more like a Bollywood movie set on a campus… beginning with a fight, developing with occasions where the lead protagonists try to show each other their best and pin each other down… and finally, things end up into love for each other until the couple fears the outcome – what will our parents think? How will they react to it? So, if you are ready to brace yourself with a love story set in the 90s, you are up for a wonderful read in the form of Cross Connection – a tale of love, emotions and surprises.

Though the novel is not very long and readers can finish it within a day, if they are too much into reading contemporary fiction and get in tune with the language of modern novelists rather quickly and easily. Preety’s language is not very tough; it’s simple and straightforward. The story begins with Simar and Naveen meeting each other on an educational campus. Simar is a BDS student and Naveen is an Engineering student. These details are mentioned with an apparent realism because, in the 90s, parents did use to force their children – become a doctor or an engineer or your career is finished! And to the surprise of the readers, the novel is based on the true story of the author’s life – it is the recitation of Preety Praveen’s love story with her husband. Isn’t that beautiful? 🙂

Romantic novels by Indian authors are common these days. However, the ones that are different, outstanding and extraordinary, only such novels can exist in the minds of the readers after being read and put aside. Preety’s work, Cross Connection, is certainly one of those masterpieces that are luckily shipped to one’s reading desk and you just cannot forget that. The love story involving all those big-small occasions of campus fights, emotional exchanges, honesty of the lovers towards each other and involvement of family members – you can call it a romantic drama acted on the pages instead of the stage or the silver screen! Yes, only a few characters have been developed… while that might be enough for such a novel, a few extra characters could have been developed to add a few extra layers to the storyline. It seems like reading a personal diary of someone in the third person, at times. If you discount such minor shortcomings, the novel has a lot to offer to its readers.

It will be suitable for the readers of the romantic genre and also the readers of contemporary fiction irrespective of genres. The author has tried to do justice to her debut work and her efforts do attract the appreciation out of the readers. You can get a copy from Amazon India and read it right now:

Buy the novel – click here to buy from Amazon India 

Review by Alka for Literature News