Book Review: ‘Love, That Shit!’ by Chandru Bhojwani

‘Love, That Shit!’ by Chandru Bhojwani is published by Om Books International (2013), and is priced Rs.165 for paperback and Rs.157 for the kindle version in Amazon.in. It is a non-fiction of the self help genre. I received the ebook from the author for the reviewing purpose.

 

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The themes in the book basically revolve round love, relationships and all the baggage that comes with it, especially in India. Inspiring at times and hilarious in between, it deals with the emotional and mental dilemmas of individuals in or out of a relationship. It gives ideas to tackle problems, for people with different perspectives. If not that, then it provides an outsider’s point of view giving a funny angle to the mess, in the least.

 

“You have to experience life, make observations and ask questions.”Certain incidents and occurrences are just so common in the Indian society that we can relate to it instantly. For example, marriage- it starts with searching of the potential bride, rejection of a few due to very silly reasons not worth mentioning, followed by a series of ‘to do or not to dos’ in both the parties and numerous such episodes before the marriage actually taking place. Some chapters take you through this well known soap, but in a different way. It covers the well known yet endured realities of the institution called marriage.

 

I loved the way the author has dedicated a chapter to different types of mothers in law-MIL, my favorite ones being the nosey ones and the CNNs-community news networks. The chapter ‘Who’s your daddy?’ tells about all the kinds of dads out there. When moms take the front, can dads be far behind. ‘Karmic connections’ tells about how we are responsible for the fates we create, people we meet, our karmic account, and the debt we owe. ‘Single and Searching’ speaks of love, friends, enemies and frenemies and explores reasons why people are single- Philophobia or searching for Mr. and Miss Right as depicted in movies, or too scared to open their hearts and being vulnerable, insecure, and feeling love.

 

Love, arguably, is the most overrated or the most underrated thing in the world in different cases. Love itself brings in a lot of fears. I liked a chapter that dealt with the fear of the unknown, and the one dealing with breakups and divorces. “Holding on to what’s not meant to be in your life will only corrode you from the inside out and eventually you won’t be able to blame anyone except the person in the mirror.” “It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.” I enjoyed reading every chapter of the book.

 

The narration creates a good rapport with the readers. It has its quirks, satires, and sarcasms at the right places infused with the right amount of fun and entertainment factor. It’s addictive- makes you read on and on and ponder over the truth at the core of it. The author has used references from different findings and books for the readers’ clarity of thought. And the real life accounts and experience of real people – told in italics- is comical and amusing at places.

 

The language used is simple as it is aimed at providing a message, a bit of motivation and feel-good vibes through the humorous take on certain situations. One of my favorite quotes being: “We too shall rise from the ashes. We too shall prevail. We too shall achieve and accomplish. Because it’s all, the part of the plan of the universe.” The flow of the ideas is what I liked the most. You don’t have to read one chapter after the other in a serial order.

 

Each is unique in its theme yet interconnected. You can start from any chapter and follow any pattern- the interlinking and referencing from one to the other or go along your own wish and whim. Moreover, it’s a short book with good adjustable font since I received the ebook and so it doesn’t drag. It is indeed a ‘mix tape’ as the author likes to call it.

 

The only limitation of the book is, I think, its title. Had I been in a bookstore, I probably wouldn’t have laid my hands on ‘Love, that shit!’ at first glance. But then, I would have missed the chance to come across this wonderful book. Thanks to Chandru Bhojwani, I got to read this.

 

My rating for this book would be 4.5/5.