Book Review: 'It's First Love!... Just like the last one' by Sachin Garg
The novel IT’S FIRST LOVE! Vibes relevant themes like Love; the predominant one, jealousy, empathy, repentance, realization, pro-social behavior: helping others, suicide, inferiority complex etc.
Sachin Garg begins the novel with a very interesting note on defining love saying that, love cannot be defined and if defined it remains/ is contextual.
The characters are shown antithetical wherein the protagonist (Samar Garg) is loved by Arshi but he likes Kanika and Kanika likes Niel. But the conflict brought in by Sachin Garg somehow makes the chemistry between Samar Garg and Kanika to go on.
Can there be a break in relationship? Yes it can, but it can prove to be distancing factor.
Sachin Garg has well portrayed the Indian society wherein individuals fall in love and jealousy creeps in, in the later stages. One becomes possessive of the other etc. he has in a crispy manner brought to light how media (Radio, Internet) influences the society. He has also shown how/ why one has got to be responsive towards the non-governmental organizations.
Basically, Sachin Garg by portraying the pitiful situation of the AIDS patients etc. tries to empathize with those affected by AIDS.
Sachin Garg has used foreshadowing technique, for instance, “I was hoping we would have a heartwarming conversation” this shows that the conversation between the characters later in the novel will be disturbing.
He makes use of few rhetorical questions that really put one into deep thought. Questions like, “what is better- to have loved and lost? or not to have loved at all.”
When Samar Garg and Kanika enjoy a good relationship and are happy and elated, they indulge in pro-social a behavior that is helping Zeeshan a passive character in the novel who lives in a decrepitude house and everything in the house is in disorder. They make an entry in his life and bring hope in him.
As said earlier there are antithetical characters; that become more relevant here when the author shows the devastated state of Zeeshan in the beginning of the novel and simultaneously a very highly held state of Mrs. Radhika Merchant.
In the later part of the novel the state of Zeeshan is seen improving and Mrs. Radhika Merchant’s state/ status in the society is dropped so as to give the audience a thought to be reflected upon.
Sachin Garg shows how taking drugs and addiction has been very common.
As the saying goes, “The inactivity of the good leads to the evil happening in the society.” The same is shown in the character of Kanika who is repeatedly asked by Samar Garg to stop her mother (Radhika Merchant) taking drugs but Kanika remains passive and thus has to face the consequences.
The building of the story is inclusively done and one is able to remember what happened when and what time of the story.
The novel is a good read when you are free and don’t have interesting movies in theatres.
