Review- Colorful Notions by Mohit Goyal

 BOOK SUMMARY:

Would you give up your high-paying job and comfortable personal
life to drive ten thousand kilometers across india? Just for fun!
Three twenty-somethings dare to do just that! While the two boys take turns
to drive, the girl gives voice-over as they record their entire journey on a handy
cam.
Ab, Sasha and Unnati are ordinary youngsters, rendered special by the feat they
accomplish. As they recount their adventures, I crave to live their journey.
They look at each other with a glint in their eyes, as if refurbishing those
memories while narrating their spooky time at Bhangarh Fort, strange
escapades at Wagah Border and Sundarbans, car breakdowns, wild animals,
near-death experiences and highway robbers! It's nothing less than crazy.
I doubted if I'd ever have the gumption to create such experiences. So I did the
next best thing - I penned a book about them, and their roadtrip.
Colorful Notions is a journey of three young hearts on the Indian terrain and
into the inner recesses of their souls, giving a new perspective to relationships,
love and life. 

Release date: November 1st 2016

Published by: Srishti Publishers and Distributors

Page numbers: 200

REVIEW: 

Colorful Notions is a book about three friends who take an epic road trip and decide to cover some 25 destinations all over India. Abhay and Sashank have been the closest of friends since childhood and at the confusing age of 25, they decide to ditch real life and go on a road trip with Sashank's assistant RJ girlfriend, Unnati, who lends her singsong voice to the documentary/ film they decide to create on their journey.

Each character in the book was so different from the other, and that's exactly what made the book so real and smooth because as much as a road trip book is about travelling and exploring, it is also about each different character, their unique personality and their admirable individualism. And in the end, it's about how these differences bring people together and closer. While there were so many incidences that were dumb to put it bluntly, they all added value to the book because after all, road tripping is nothing but a learning experience. Nonetheless, it's difficult to overlook the sometimes extreme recklessness (coming from mature people) and the sometimes unnecessary and over drama that seemed very frequent in the book. 

Books about road trips are the most entertaining and emotional because they are both light and deep at the same time. Road tripping isn't just about getting in car, travelling unimaginable distances, trying out new food, meeting new people and having the time of one's life. It is all that, yes; but there's so much more to it, because it always ends up being a life-altering experience, and no matter what age one is, it almost always ends up being a very coming of age experience that is enlightening, refreshing and wise. This is what the book teaches and the message of connecting with oneself and others was lovely. 

Colourful Notions was a great read that has been nicely penned down by author Mohit Goyal, whose writing is simple and easy to understand. One of the greatest part is that each chapter is dedicated to one place and one incident which gives a nice and enough (in terms of quantity) glimpse into everything. It's very precise and not boring at all, which is exactly why this read is highly recommended.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by The Tales Pensieve in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

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