Foursome by Natasha Diddee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
So, Foursome begins on a day when 4 best friends, who have been hiding a secret from each other until then, meet to mourn the end of Tara’s marriage. Sana, Upasana and Arpita, who have gathered to console Tara, find that there is not one, but four whirlpools that they are currently caught in the midst of. The journey from this to untangling of all the tangles in the lives is what comprises the plot line of Foursome.
Foursome is a tale of dysfunctional relationships that we see around ourselves every day and about friendship. I was, by self-admission, a teenager/young adult who stuck to the boring routine and shied away from adventure. So naturally, some of the incidents in the book made me laugh/giggle embarrassingly/smile/grin – basically show all variety of reactions that we associate with memories with our sorority sisters and girl pals from adolescents. The language is simple, crisp and dotted with reference from Indian pop culture, something that I haven’t read in a while. It is not pedantic or preachy and doesn’t intend to enlighten the reader on issues that it incorporates into its plot line. For example, one of the plot lines talks about a couple trapped in a marriage where one of the partners is gay. I particularly liked how the story highlights the point that a portion of cruelty that one of the partners inflicts on the other is also a projection of that individual’s own frustration. Also, how, unknowingly we choose a security blanket in our lives, something that becomes our anchor in the tough times, like when the Ken from our dreams is busy chasing his Ken, and not everything is rosy an blooming in our Barbie’s dollhouse.
The plotline progresses fast, one development to another. Some of the plot twists, I sort of guessed them coming while some, I was pleasantly surprised with. Of the 4 parallel plots, I enjoyed 2 of them completely, in other words, checking all the boxes on my list. I really liked Tara’s story, from beginning to the end. With Arpita’s story, I loved the end, quite different from my expectation in spite of the first half which felt a little predictable. Upasana’s and Sana’s story left me wanting a bit more, partly because I felt that their stories/characters had the most potential. That is something that left me a bit unsatisfied I would say. I wanted a bit more from these stories than it developed in the book. It makes me wish that the book that slowed down a little in pace, diving a bit more into their lives. A couple of times I wished there were several narrators in the book because I wanted a peek into a character’s mind, one them Tara’s, from whose point of view the events have been narrated. So, if I have to summarise, I would say that it is breezy, fluid piece of fiction that fun-filled, cheerful and a delight to read but ended a little too soon early for my complete gratification. I finished the book in a marathon reading session, which goes to show that there is plenty of action happening in the book, even if one of the characters was, at that moment, was not blooming as per my expectation. It did, however, make me want to meet my besties, hug them tightly and go on a vacation with them. Most certainly recommended, when stuck in a long layover, or on a wintery afternoon when you are miles away from your girlfriends and are sorely missing them.
If you like the review, you can get your copy of Foursome on Amazon and Flipkart.
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