Review- When Strangers Meet.. by K. Hari Kumar

Goodreads Summary:

What happens when an irritating but lovable wise-cracking 'Stranger' called Iyer meets a frustrated and arrogant teenager, Jai, on a fateful day in a congested room at the metro station? Catastrophe!!!
Meanwhile, Pathan never had the pleasure of happiness in his life yet he thanked Allah for every second of it... 
Abandoned by fate and friends, surrounded by responsibilities and poverty... This hard-coated man from the city of Delhi knew only thing and that was to keep faith in Allah... Now he is set on a journey to turn around his fate...

The tale from the Iyer's past will change Pathan's present and Jai's future... And trust me... 
Sometimes all it takes is a stranger's tale to change the track of your life...

Three Men... One fateful day... and a Story of a Lifetime...

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of When Stangers Meet.. by K. Hari Kumar from Srishti Publishers & Distributors in exchange for an honest review. We thank the publishing house for the book!

K. Hari Kumar's When Stangers Meet..  is the tale of three men, Jai Sharma, Krishnaprasad Iyer and Hussain Ansari, who find themselves in the same situation and how that one situation changes their lives. The book is divided into three parts-  The Runaway, Iyer's Story and Revelations. 

When Strangers Meet.., as a story, is quite decent and okay as it comes with a good and much appreciated message. The only and major problem I had with the book was the writing. 

Yes, I have said before that I am not one to judge. I don't hold any prestigious and respectable degrees in the English language, but I have read quite a lot of books and by now, even I can point out a well written and not so well written book. When Strangers Meet.., unfortunately, fell under the latter category. 
Considering the fact that I began this book freshly after finishing a beautifully written novel by the same publishing house, I was disappointed and irritated by the rather mediocre writing. The language was very "today", but it was way too colloquial for a book. Literally every second sentence ended with an exclamation mark. The italics font was used for no reason at numerous places. And what I did not understand was, This. Yes, This. Every word after the first comma in a sentence started with a capital letter. And I have no idea why. Or maybe it was meant to be that way. 
Anyways, the quite so-so writing aside, like I said, the story was quite good. 
Jai is like any typical metro college kid. He loves his music, has his own dreams and is pressurized to do what his parents want him to do. Hussain, the humble tea stall owner is a wonderful person at heart and I would have loved to read more about him, his family and their daily struggles. Krishna... Well, Krishna was the epicenter of When Strangers Meet.., bringing along with him, his life journey and story that makes and breaks quite a few things. 

I loved how author K. Hari Kumar managed to capture, in a very subtle and perhaps unknowing manner, the true current Indian situation where the rich are becoming richer and the poor, poorer. It's easy to ignore the part, but the fact, for me, was hidden right there. And I loved the reality of it. In general, the situational reality of the story was quite solid. 

Had I not skimmed the last few pages beforehand, the unexpected ending would have left me feeling devastated and hollow, but I was prepared and so, all was good. 
Overall, with some editorial improvements, When Strangers Meet.. has the potential to be a good read. For me, the story was really good, but the writing... Okay. I know I have been mean, but oh well... A little writing research would have helped. 

My rating is somewhere between 2.50 to 2.75 but since the story was really good, I'm rounding it up to a total of 3 owls, which means that while I did have some issues with the book, I enjoyed it. I've seen many good reviews for the book and they're all right in saying that When Strangers Meet.. is a light and fun read with a moral worth knowing. 

RATING: