Book Review : Circle Of Three By Rohit Gore

Three people, different in their own way , live in different parts of a city. Can they make a difference in the life of the other two?

Circle of three by Rohit Gore takes us through the lives of three distinct people, who are initially unaware of the others’ existence.  They are in the same state, facing their own set of problems for  different reasons.  The story is about how they happen to come across the other by sheer destiny, how the three of them, once strangers, become the world to the other and how each one of them helps the other overcome their grief and start a new innings in life.

Thirteen year old Aryan Khosla, Thirty three year old Ria Marathe, and Sixty Three year old Rana Rathod have one thing in common. They are lonely and deserted by their family. Aryan , the soft hearted but mature minded kid is almost ignored by his parents and bullied at school.  The lack of a good friend and a companion, forces him to keep all these thoughts to himself and he reclines to a shell where no one else is allowed. Ria Marathe, is an enigma.  Once a famous scriptwriter in Bollywood, now refuses to meet people and step out unless absolutely necessary. It would be obvious to anyone that she has been struck by tragedy and she is going through a tough time. But is it so intense that it forces her take the extreme step? Rana Rathod is a long forgotten author, whose books were a rage, years back. In the process of trying to make a comeback, he is humiliated and dejected .He finally meets people who think of him as one great author. How the three of them come together, the circumstances which bring them together, how they help each other handle their past to set their future right, and how they help each other get along with life forms the rest of the story.

This book stands apart in the powerful way the emotions are expressed. It is one thing to form a plot on a slightly different theme , yet carry the story forward with a good pace (other than a few places) and it is another thing to convey the emotions of the characters to such an extent. The author has done full justice to all his characters. When Aryan is bullied and ends up crying his eyes out, your heart beats for him. When Ria comes to terms with reality, your heart just goes out for her. When Ranasaheb is humiliated, you feel so sad for him. Such is the impact it has on a reader. The author has done a brilliant job.  I liked the way how the story is structured. From how they end up meeting, their initial inhibitions to how each one inspires the other, everything is so natural and not far-fetched.  Another feature which I liked was how the author brought people of different age groups (a school boy, a widowed lady, an old man) together, and it did not seem out of place. It went well with the flow of the story and showed them getting along really well with each other. The author perhaps feels that age doesn’t matter and one need not necessarily restrict oneself to friends in the same age group as theirs. I quite agree with him.

Over all, I enjoyed the book. It was different and I do not regret picking up this book. I’m glad I did.

And Yes, three complete strangers, can have a great impact on each other and that would perhaps make all the difference in their lives.