Title: She Loves
Me, He Loves Me Not
Author: Zeenat
Mahal
Zeenat Mahal is an avid reader and
has been writing for as long as she can remember. She has an MPhil in English
literature from Government College Lahore and an MFA in creative writing from
Kingston University, London. She won a BBC short story competition in 2001 and
has been a regular contributor to newspapers.
‘Haveli’ and 'The Contract' are
Zeenat’s first two published novellas. She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, is her
next.
She can be contacted on her FB page here. Her email: zeenatmahal@yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://www.zeenatmahal.com
Rating: 4/5
Publisher:
Indireads
was started with the aim to revolutionizing the popular fiction genre in South
Asia. With edgy, contemporary and compelling fiction by new writers and its
digital-only publishing model, Indireads is breaking new ground in terms of the
reading experience and giving voice to new writing talent.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/indireadsbooks
Twitter: @indireads
Indireads Official Blog: www.indireads.com/indiwords
Book Blurb:
Zoella didn’t know whether she was
devastatingly happy or happily devastated.
Zoella has been in love with
Fardeen Malik, her best friend’s gorgeous older brother, since she was ten, but
he’s always seen her as a ‘good girl’—not his type—and he can barely remember
her name. Besides, he’s engaged to a gorgeous leggy socialite, someone from the
same rarefied social strata as the imposing Malik family. In short, Zoella has
no chance with him.
Until a brutal accident leaves
Fardeen scarred and disfigured, that is. Suddenly bereft of a fiancée, Fardeen
is bitterly caustic, a shell of the man he used to be, a beast that has broken
out of the fairy tale world he once lived in. And a twist of fate lands him his
very own beauty—Zoella.
This man, however, is a far cry
from the Fardeen of her dreams. Stripped of her illusions, Zoella creates her
own twist in the fairy tale, beating him at his own game.
Zeenat Mahal explores themes of
love, longing and arranged marriages in this modern, unusual interpretation of
the old-age fairy tale
Now for my view:
I must confess at the onset that Zeenat
is one of my favorite authors. I not only like her stories but also the way she
writes and the characters she builds immensely. I have read Zeenat’s works, ‘Haveli’
and ‘The
Contract’, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading both. So when I
got my hands on ‘She Loves Me, He Loves
Me Not’, I knew it would be time well spent.
‘She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not’ is the sub-continent’s Beauty & the Beast. Zeenat, to my
mind, always writes stories which have a classical touch to them. I don’t quite
know how to articulate it better. The fact is every time I read her work, it reminds
me of the ones by Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters. In fact, after reading ‘Haveli’,
‘The
Contract’ and now this too, I have walked up to the classics in my
book-self like clockwork. All three times! So that’s the beauty of Zeenat’s
work for you. Unpretentious and powerful.
She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, again, is a page turner. The story
of Zoella and Fardeen keeps you glued. Zoella, the damsel who might be in
distress but in no way helpless, and Fardeen, the beast with scars both on the
inside and out, together make this a very endearing read. Typical romance with
all the ingredients thrown in for the tale to tug at your heart.
You’ll find yourself rooting for
Zoella, cursing Fardeen for his nastiness and then later thinking maybe she
ought to just walk out of his life. And when Fardeen has a change of heart you’ll
wish these two should quickly kiss and make up. Any story which can do that to
you is in my view a read which can’t be missed.
So if romance if your cup of tea,
then ‘She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not’ is
definitely worth a read.
Grab a copy from any of the
links below: