Pawanraj Sadhwani

Our Impossible Love by Durjoy Datta is a "love story?".

Danish is the black sheep - a below average 23 year old in a family of high-achievers. And he is very very aware of it. Aisha is a 17 year old late bloomer who has always felt like an outsider and is still coming to grips with who she is becoming, as a woman and as a person. Events conspire to put Danish in the position of an unwilling conusellor for the unwilling student (Aisha) at school. And thus begins the journey of self-discovery, growth and of course, love, for both of them.

There's a lot to like about "Our Impossible Love". It is easy to read. The language is uncomplicated and the story, even if a little cliched, moves along nimbly. First person narrative is a good choice because it makes the story personal. If you've been to school, you'll recognize and relate to teenage love, friendship, crushes, bullying, and the struggles of evolving and finding your identity through teenage years. If you've grown up with family, situations with parents, the (real and imagined) generation gap, filial love, sibling rivalry (and love) will make you choke up in a few places.

In the course of portraying Aisha's growth, the author also touches upon important aspects in the context of Indian society. The role of women, the taboo that is sex, consent, homosexuality, bullying, rape. Done via the characters' voices, the author's thoughts are projected largely without being overly rambling, didactic or maudlin. You are allowed to supplement the characters' thoughts with your own experiences, and personally I like that.

However, in some ways, this is a book that is difficult to contextualize.

The setting is a school, and the characters are in school (or not too long after it). No doubt a lot as changed since I was in school. But in my school, things were a little more... staid. And we were a little more oblivious. There were no counsellors, rumours weren't this vicious, nerds were just ignored (i should know) instead of hated, and we didn't have a clue if any of our friends were gay. So Aisha's school and everything that happens seems a little too exciting and movie-like for me.

Aisha herself alternates between a naive 12 year old, and a sage 35 year old far too easily, and far too quickly. Danish too, effortlessly switches between a 23 year old failure who cannot converse normally with the opposite sex and a confident, wise counsellor adult. Other characters (Aisha's brother, parents) also have these sudden context-switches or resolutions of their arcs, that yank you out of the mental space you are in.

To my mind, this does a couple of things. For one, it impedes the character arc and breaks the immersion. But more importantly, it does a disservice to Datta's no doubt worthy intentions of exposing young readers to thorny societal issues. Raising these questions is of course necessary, but leaving things like homosexuality or rape half-discussed or explored only in passing, could be dangerous. It might engender conclusions that may be opposite of the ones intended.

I am not young (and probably not who the book is intended for). Maybe I am reading a little too much into what is essentially a "movie-script" of a book. But I hope that if a teenager is reading the book, he finds time to discuss it with parents or peers, just to help them along in their journey.

For me personally, the book has a good concept and perhaps a noble cause, but falls short on execution. 3/5 stars.