Debutant novelist Ruchi Vadehra has justified the title of her book Great Textpectation. The book will take you on a journey of the new age texting culture where people randomly start texting each other and then eventually get hooked to it and later decide if it’s worth meeting or not. Amaya Kapoor is a Delhi-based intellectually inclined 35-year-old, single and sexually liberated woman, who wants to open a boutique bookstore called Amaya Books and More. Vadehra describes Amaya’s room as self-sufficient zone — a pantry, seating area, terrace etc. It also serves to describe her personality, someone who is independent and wants to live life on her own terms. And so Amaya’s relationship with Rohan Kashyap begins on an irritating note.
She, who appreciates the comfort of silence during her online escapades, finds Rohan a nuisance and reluctantly starts talking to him via an online scrabble game. Owing largely to Rohan’s persistence, they gradually become friendly, sharing personal details every now and then, and trusting each other’s insight for their professional decisions. Over time, their exchanges start getting flirty and Amaya begins to look forward to their online chats and texts.
Since we do spend a lot of time texting and chatting with known people and strangers, the texting portion of the book is quite relatable and fun to read. Also, if you read carefully, you might have a tip in case you are at loss of words in the virtual world!
Apart from Amaya and Rohan, other characters like Piya (Amaya’s yoga instructor), Meghna Roy (who she considers as a role model) and Tarun Bhaskar (a cerebral new age author) play their roles in taking the story forward. In fact, Piya plays an important role when it comes to taking decisions regarding the men in Amaya’s life. Every time Amaya feels she is being carried away in her relationship, Piya’s face always pops in her head.
This is a tricky subject, but Vadehra, despite being a first time author has done her job well. Apart from a slight niggle in making the transition from text conversations to full-fledged chapters, Vadehra has ensured that the book looks and sounds good.