Love (Try) Angle by Manali Desai is about young adults trying to find an angle of love in their crushes. It often happens in college life that one is with A in the first year, with B in the second year, with C in the third year, and marries someone else later in life. Could we call the relationship with A, B, or C love?
Plot & Characters in Love (Try) Angle
It’s about finding an angle of love in the relationships of Ayesha Banerjee, a new girl in Mumbai, with her neighbour, Viren Joshi, & her senior at college, Abhi Agarwal. All three protagonists are intelligent & talented.
The bold & beautiful Ayesha has a crush on both Viren and Abhi. The fire is equal on both sides. Abhi looks sexy with well-toned physiques. Viren doesn’t fit the criteria of handsome but he has his charms. The following excerpts will give you an idea of their chemistry & relationship dynamics.
“I somehow feel you are more attracted to Abhi.”
“Oh please, she clearly likes Viren more.”
“C’mon, she would have obviously kissed Abhi at the fresher’s party if not for Sharad’s intervention.”
“Really? And what about how she runs into Viren’s arms every time she feels vulnerable?”
Abhi and Viren had looked like they wanted to have a physical go at each other any moment.
He wasn’t sure what his feelings for Ayesha were. Heck! He wasn’t even sure if this was love, just a passing crush, or maybe just possessiveness as a friend.
Writing Style in Love (Try) Angle
Almost every chapter starts with a month & year as if an entry in the diary. It seems that the story is written from the diaries of fictional characters Ayesha, Viren, & Abhi and the narrative is changed from the first person to the third person.
Each chapter presents the view of a single character but in the third person universal voice. The quote at the beginning of each chapter conveys the intent of the chapter, and the name of the quotee indicates from whose perspective the chapter is told.
The timeline is linear. The writing is simple with humorous dialogues & vivid descriptions. Bollywood songs are used in the narrative to enhance the point. The story starts with a normal pace, but towards the end, it moves in fast forward.
Women’s Rights Dealt in Love (Try) Angle
The book, Love (Try) Angle, strongly advocates women’s rights through the poems performed onstage by the female protagonist on various occasions. The book begins with a heartwrenching poem on female infanticide in Prologue and ends with a powerful poem on the issues of slut-shaming, women’s rights, & rape in Epilogue.
One girl was fearless, another fearful,
One continued in her ways, another locked in the house worried and tearful.
Both met the same fate though in different situations,
When both were tied, gaged, hit, and raped for hours by so called protectors of religion and the nation.
But in the story, the female protagonist is referred to as Ms. Sexy Legs on more than one occasion. When people check out her exposed long legs, the word for the act is not ‘admire’ or ‘praise’ but ‘leer.’ Then the act is justified by arguments like what one is supposed to do when she’s wearing shorts, everyone is doing the same, he’s in his early 20s spending his days locked up in a room with his mother & sister without much socializing, etc.
It’s also said on multiple occasions that she looked sexier when angry or vulnerable. In one scene, when she slaps one of the male protagonists, he gets aroused & grabs her. When she resists, he tightens his grip. He wants to kiss her lips but instead kiss her cheeks because they aren’t alone. She then starts to reciprocate. People witnessing it are cheering & clapping. A few even congratulate him.
Extent of Love
Dr. Helen Fisher, an anthropologist and leading expert on the topic of love, divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment.
Lust is the craving for sexual gratification. Romantic attraction or passionate love or obsessive love is about increased energy, intense craving, and the focusing of attention on a preferred mating partner. Attachment or companionate love involves wanting to make a more lasting commitment to your loved one to feel calm, secure, social comfort, and emotional union.
In the book, Love (Try) Angle, the love of the protagonists can be put somewhere between lust and romantic attraction. Though the feeling of caring & craving for the person is present, most of the emotions in their relationship revolve around physical features, flirting skills, & sexual tensions. They aren’t sure whether they are in love or not.
The excitement & nervousness in the close proximity of their love interest and how they are coping with this new sensation of theirs are aptly portrayed. The author relies on body language & the medium of touch to express the vibrating emotions of the protagonists, which gel well with the stage of love they are in. The language makes it easier to comprehend when the touch is to care, calm down, or reassure and when it’s of sexual nature.
Other Topics Touched in Love (Try) Angle by Manali Desai
- Why Mumbai never sleeps & is called the city of dreams
- Mumbaikars Vs Outsiders
- Religion Vs Spirituality
- Eco-friendly idols
- Ragging & fresher’s party
- Life of competitive exam aspirants, college life, & Mumbai lifestyle
Drawbacks & Points for Improvement
The book has some typos & formatting issues.
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Quotes from Love (Try) Angle
- Chivalry is often confused with flirting.
- You either do or you don’t, there’s no in between when it comes to faith.
- Regrets have the power to either make you weaker or stronger. The choice is yours.
- They talk about growing up, but nobody really prepares you for the responsibilities.
- Moving on, sometimes takes just one tiny moment of clarity.
Conclusion
There’s a dialogue in the movie Little Manhattan: “Love is an ugly, terrible business…and what does it really get you in the end? Nothing but a few incredible memories that you can’t ever shake.”
Love (Try) Angle by Manali Desai is a young adult fiction for grown-ups to relive their younger days, especially college life, and smile over those incredible unshakable memories. The book is available on Amazon.