Review: Blinkers Off
At first glance, Blinkers Off might seem like a pleasant read, an easy story. However, it is neither. Contrary to my expectations (which maybe, I shouldn’t have had), I couldn’t finish this book as fast as I had wanted to. Neither did the story grip nor the characters. I wish the author hadn’t juggled with so many characters – maybe it would have kept the read simpler. Nevertheless, I guess the inclusion of so many plot turns and characters were a necessity because the premise of the book comes in the form of a wedding. This setting could have been used to the book’s advantage, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been.
Meet Noor – a college student who has to make a documentary for her film class. Unfortunately, she gets grouped with Supriya – someone who the opposite sex is only too happy to look at. Struggling with a little insecurity and the irrepressible feels that she has for Supriya’s boyfriend, the story is about how Noor needs to successfully complete her assignment. In the way of her work come a lot of difficulties. There is almost a fiasco at the wedding when the bride confides in Noor with a secret and she finds herself in a tough spot.
The narrative should ideally have been fast-paced but here, it falls a little short. The synopsis at the back itself put me a little off in the beginning. All the elements that can make up a good cliche are present in it – there’s a ‘diva’, a ‘gorgeous boyfriend’, a best friend, a supposed-to-funny film teacher and the protagonist herself – who is caught between a lot of worlds. This book had a choice of sticking to all the cliches and coming up with an easy read but sadly, the book tries to be different when it clearly is not.
The writing style is simple and is not ridden with errors as most other books that we read today. I feel that it is this style which makes the book a dragging read. I would have personally liked if this book were a crisper read. What I liked about this book though was how the author has tried to infuse her plot with different sides of culture and mindsets. There’s a difference in how the parents of the protagonists think and how her relationships with the people around her change with time.
I must also give a special mention to the book’s ending. The author manages to turn a very popular cliche around and that definitely gave me a smile on my face. I am giving 2/5 cows for Andaleeb Wajid’s Blinkers Off because I really wish it could have been a faster and more engrossing read like it hoped to be. Do pick it up if you want an easy read but don’t expect yourself to finish it in one go.
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About the Author: Lipi Mehta
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