With You; Without You – review

With You; Without You is the debut novel by author Prabhat Ranjan who hails from Patna, Bihar. His novel deals with the theme of love, friendship, betrayal, confusion, emotional conflict and various other themes which will certainly be useful for the youths as well as the serious fiction readers who want to go beyond the text. Written in Hindi, the language usage as well as the pattern of the narrative used by Prabhat Ranjan is not only noteworthy but also praiseworthy. He has tried to reach the readers directly and his language has helped him a lot because after reading the novel, I can assure that the author will make a direct impact on the minds of the readers through his story!

Without wobbling so much about the storyline and plot, I would rather make things short in this section so that I move ahead directly to my free assessment of the novel. It basically focuses on three major characters namely Nishind, Rami and Aditya. Childhood friends are captured in the self-made web of misconceptions and confusions around love and friendship. All three of them are separated from each other just because of a mistake made by Nishind. When they meet again, confusions pour once again because Nidhind tries to repent for what he has done earlier without knowing that things have changed a lot and now Rami has fallen in love with him instead of anyone else! You will like the storyline and it will keep you enchanted, for sure! It might get sluggish at times but that will be managed by the witty opinions which Prabhat Ranjan keeps offering in between his narrative.

I have been reading for more than 10 years now (about serious reading) and I will say with confidence that such versatile novel in Hindi did never come on my desk. Prabhat, in his debut book With You; Without You, does offer the best of himself and his mind. His perception of love, sex, friendship, youth, alienation of the youth from the basics and traditions of the society become clear enough after reading this novel by him. He can get his grip on the readers tightened as per his wish. You will feel it once you read the novel and move through the pages.

Through this fiction, the author tries also to educate the youths of the day about their misconceptions about love, physical attraction and the limits of friendship. Prabhat Ranjan has offered so many things in his very debut novel and things might seem clumsy at times but most of the times, you will just be curious enough to explore and veer through the suspense that the novel offers! Happy Reading!

Get your copy of the book from the Amazon India link below:

With You; Without You on Amazon