Thursday 16 July 2015

#BookReview ; Beyond School by Chitra Anand


Beyond School centres upon the weeks leading up to 17-year-old Shail’s final board exams, as his world becomes a pressure-cooker and the weight of preparing for the exams sends him fleeing rebelliously in the other direction. Along with Shail’s journey from boyhood to manhood, Beyond School vividly weaves between the narratives of four main characters, seamlessly uniting the past and present of Shail, his parents-Urmila and Sushil and his mentor-Gladys, in a story that is honest, funny, heartbreaking and ultimately, incredibly human.

The story revolves around a young football enthusiast who is soon going to appear for his board exams for which his parents are more tensed than he is & hence they become a little strict towards him. But they don't have a clue that their son Shail has decided to sit through this year & appear for boards in the next. So whether he gave his exam or not & then there are many small things which happens to him & will it affect his studies or his dream to become a footballer is the main plot of the story while there's another angle to the story which involves Shail's parents Urmila & Sushil, their past & how & why they came to a different country & then there is Ms Gladys who is not only his teacher but mentor.

To be honest I was a little sceptical about this book before starting but as I read it the plot became stronger. The story of Shail our protagonist is that of most students who aspire to do something different than mainstream jobs. I loved his character!
And all the other characters gelled well with our protagonist. The details are well described & will create a beautiful picturesque of various places.
The only thing which bugged me was the last chapter but in all a good read indeed.



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