25 July, 2016

#BookReview :: Ranga Half-Pants by Suman Kumar

How horribly wrong can a boy’s dream of owning a pair of full pants go? Set in 1986, in a small town in Andhra Pradesh, Ranga Half-Pants is a breathtaking, coming-of-age tale of love, courage and friendship.

Ranganathan aka Ranga, 14, goes to school after Dasara holidays to discover that he is the only boy in his class still wearing half-pants. All the other boys have moved on to full trousers making Ranga the butt of cruel jokes and bullying. Things hit a real low when his arch-nemesis Joel becomes friends with Ranga’s best friend Kaivalya.

Prasad, 24, is a man forced to live by the sword. Now he wants to give it all up for the love of his life, Tabassum. His rivals, however, have other plans for him.

The worlds of Ranga and Prasad clash on a fateful, violent night. Will Ranga get his full pants? Will Prasad outwit his foes? 


The name of the book intrigued me enough to give it a try and I am glad to have taken a chance with this book. 

Ranga is an adolescent who discovers that all the boys in his class have graduated to full pants as a part of their school uniform while he remains the only one wearing half-pant. The other boys start to make fun of him enough to make him want a set of full pants for himself. Then there is also the fact that his arch-nemesis and his best friends seem to be getting closer by the day. On the other hand is Prasad who has fallen in love with Tabassum and he would do anything for a life with her. But there is the matter of a politician’s nephew who has other plans for him. When Prasad and Ranga’s lives cross paths, relationships are forged and unexpected things happen.

Ranga and Prasad are two very different characters, yet both are loveable. Ranga’s immaturity at times reminded me of how young he is. But he does find his voice as the story progresses. Prasad’s composure on the other hand managed to impress me. There are quite a few side characters in the story and they have been developed equally well. The character of Vishwa really added to both the story and the character of Prasad. The plot is simple and mostly predictable. It is more of coming of age story with the characters finding their way through life. The author has done a good job with the story telling by giving us just enough details and keeping things simple.

The book has a feel good feeling about it and made for an entertaining read.


Review Copy received from Jaico Publishing


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