Ice Town By Akash Rathod

The Blurb: 

It’s 26 November, 2008. Mumbai is holding her breath. Death has never been busier – putting two innocent lovers, Sagar and Anjali, under her watch. Sagar, a nineteen years old, is trying to trace his dream in the chaotic atmosphere of his Engineering College. He’s trapped between his feelings for Anjali and his still unsure dream of becoming a photographer. In his attempt to overcome the magical power of the human heart and universal whisper, he commits a crime—a crime that shatters his life forever. Nothing will ever be the same. It’s a small story, about: A boy + A girl + A book whose wisdom has changed millions of lives + A Buddhist monk + A goddess being killed by her own devotees + And a lot of politics.

The Story: 

The story is about a boy that comes to Mumbai a city of dream with his dream. He came to Mumbai with a confused mind for engineering studies where he meets Anjali the love of his life. The story begins with 26/11 Terrorist attacks in which Anjali is one of the victims. Fighting for her life she is in ICU with Sagar standing out and wondering about the universe and its mysterious ways and how he first meets Anjali. So waiting in the waiting area Sagar relieves his love once again by remembering her from the very first day in the dream city to all the way to Rishikesh a magical place where he finds his calling for photography and life. Though being a photographer and starting a fight for the Ganga river is not easy when people want to kill you rather than support you. So the journey is relived from college first kiss to sadness of the family loss. From inner peace to a magical world. A journey from being a Caterpillar to being a Butterfly. 
So will Sagar ever find his true passion? Is photography is everything he ever needed? What will happen when he stop reliving past and faces reality sitting in the hospital?  Is Mumbai his last Ice Town or he will find a new Town after the tragic incident?  

My Take: 

Let me breathe for a moment before I write the review. 

As the book started I read about the terrorist attack and living in Mumbai I found myself imagining everything that the author, Akash Rathod wrote and my own memories of that day. As the story moves ahead I liked the teenage love story drama. Who doesn't love teenage love story? I like the way the author has written the love story, it was quite a story much say. All the details of river Ganga and other related subjects like Ashram in Rishikesh and Mountains were described not only in a detailed manner but also with care and delicacy. 

Overall loved the book and was seriously inspired to follow my dream. Even though I was sad at the end as I finished reading but I felt honored for getting the opportunity to read this book and getting to review it. So click on the link below and witness a dual story with his love story and a story of passion and dream: https://amzn.to/2U823WB