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The DEViant
Sam had everything one could ask for: A shining board exam result Great apartment in Chennai with super cool flatmates The most amazing group of friends The perfect boy-next-door charm And, a magical dream of love to chase (Re)Enter Jenny: the girl who had unknowingly changed Sam's life years ago. 'The Angel', Sam used to call her when he didn't know her. Now that Jenny struggles with her doomed destiny, will Sam be able to help her out? Two steps away from entering the realm of their own 'happily ever after', Sam and Jenny's lives get caught in a conflux of passion and betrayal - otherwise known as Dev Aryan. How many will survive the storm? Shuttling between Chennai, Tiruppur, Coimbatore and Bengaluru, Sam narrates his story of unlikely and unparalleled friendships. Revisit the classrooms of uncomplicated love and scribble songs of undying companionship in the side margins of notebooks with Sam's story of engaging vividity that is continually illuminated by the pyrotechnics of curiosity, candour, and wit."
278 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2016
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 3, 2016
Friendship, love, betrayal, realisation, endurance and Sam's life revolving around these.
Completing his 12th board exams, with an aim to grab a seat in an engineering college of his choice, Sam. S. Prathik joins coaching classes to meet new faces and an old face as well .
A face that had changed his way of thinking, his Angel , that's what he called her.
The Angel who was bitter to him from the start had painful past , the past that still grilled her between the plans of her future and the trips to the court. Determined to help her, he starts making amends to do so.
By the end of his coaching classes and announcement of results he decides to confess his love to the one with whom he had been in love for years but misfortune strikes him again and he is defamed by someone.
Devoid of any trust from his friends and without the support of his family, Sam slowly starts falling into the despair because of his failed love to be caught by his Angel who supports him and pushes him to settle his life.
Love enters the life of Sam's Angel as Dev Aryan, someone who had helped in healing Sam's wounds and the perfect guy with the charm to enter Jenny's ( Sam's Angel's) heart.
But will that be their " happily ever after"? Or there is more to come from Dev Aryan?
Getting answers for the MCQs from an Ouija board was the funniest thing the book could feature.
Note to the author- Maggie doesn't take two minutes to be ready. The water takes atleast 1minite 45 seconds to boil.
The book would make you want to pack your bags to South India as the author has been quite liberal at describing the places.
The book has been neatly written without creating any confusion but still keeps the suspense.
The author possesses good storytelling skills and the book has been fairly edited for reading.
I appreciate the way the book ends , with the air of uncertainty.
"The Deviant" is a book that has been cleverly named to reveal the story, but one would get it only after reading the entire book.
The author has put all the 278 pages of the book to use, weaving a plot so beautiful that you will feel satisfied after reading it.
Ratings- 3.8 out of 5 stars.
It would have been better if some tamil sentences were converted to english anf written beneath the page as some readers are quite obsessed about reading the exact thing rather than figuring out what it means.
Mordern texting language, when in a book, even if it's to convey texts is quite inconvenient.
The book is worth the read and kudos to the author for writing something that nice.
Completing his 12th board exams, with an aim to grab a seat in an engineering college of his choice, Sam. S. Prathik joins coaching classes to meet new faces and an old face as well .
A face that had changed his way of thinking, his Angel , that's what he called her.
The Angel who was bitter to him from the start had painful past , the past that still grilled her between the plans of her future and the trips to the court. Determined to help her, he starts making amends to do so.
By the end of his coaching classes and announcement of results he decides to confess his love to the one with whom he had been in love for years but misfortune strikes him again and he is defamed by someone.
Devoid of any trust from his friends and without the support of his family, Sam slowly starts falling into the despair because of his failed love to be caught by his Angel who supports him and pushes him to settle his life.
Love enters the life of Sam's Angel as Dev Aryan, someone who had helped in healing Sam's wounds and the perfect guy with the charm to enter Jenny's ( Sam's Angel's) heart.
But will that be their " happily ever after"? Or there is more to come from Dev Aryan?
Getting answers for the MCQs from an Ouija board was the funniest thing the book could feature.
Note to the author- Maggie doesn't take two minutes to be ready. The water takes atleast 1minite 45 seconds to boil.
The book would make you want to pack your bags to South India as the author has been quite liberal at describing the places.
The book has been neatly written without creating any confusion but still keeps the suspense.
The author possesses good storytelling skills and the book has been fairly edited for reading.
I appreciate the way the book ends , with the air of uncertainty.
"The Deviant" is a book that has been cleverly named to reveal the story, but one would get it only after reading the entire book.
The author has put all the 278 pages of the book to use, weaving a plot so beautiful that you will feel satisfied after reading it.
Ratings- 3.8 out of 5 stars.
It would have been better if some tamil sentences were converted to english anf written beneath the page as some readers are quite obsessed about reading the exact thing rather than figuring out what it means.
Mordern texting language, when in a book, even if it's to convey texts is quite inconvenient.
The book is worth the read and kudos to the author for writing something that nice.
August 29, 2016
The novel is suprisingly superb for a debutant. His use of real places and locations helped in getting connected with the story to such an extent that at one point we forget that we are reading a work of fiction. The detailing given to characters were impeccable, all the readers start to root for the well being of Jenny. Overall a nice book to spend ur weekend with and get immersed in feelings. Eagerly waiting for the Author's next book.
June 30, 2020
The author has done a superb work as a debutant.
The story revolves around love, care, friendships, betrayal and realisation.
Sam who has passed his 12th board exams aims to grab a seat in reputed engineering college. he moves to Chennai for his coachings and there he meets his 'Angel'. Then the story goes into flashback that how he met his angel but now on approaching her she seems totally opposite.
Gradually, after discovering the reason behind bitterness of his angel i.e., Jenny, Sam tries his best to help her. Eventually Jenny Shalyn, Nihal and Sam become very good friends.
In few months the coaching classes end and Sam returns home and makes up his mind to confess his love for Athrika. his confession takes a wrong turn when someone tries to frame him for something he didn't do.
Sam joins one of the prestigious colleges based in Coimbatore. The real story begins when Dev Aryan enters his life. Though he was a senior , he helped Sam in many ways. Dev falls for Jenny without even meeting her. when Dev and Jenny finally meet Sparks fly.
when you advance into the story, you will realise that Dev had other intentions too. Is Dev a wolf in Sheep's clothing? Will there be a happy ending? Was this the silence before the storm?
You need to find out for yourself.
I would rate it 3.75/5
The story revolves around love, care, friendships, betrayal and realisation.
Sam who has passed his 12th board exams aims to grab a seat in reputed engineering college. he moves to Chennai for his coachings and there he meets his 'Angel'. Then the story goes into flashback that how he met his angel but now on approaching her she seems totally opposite.
Gradually, after discovering the reason behind bitterness of his angel i.e., Jenny, Sam tries his best to help her. Eventually Jenny Shalyn, Nihal and Sam become very good friends.
In few months the coaching classes end and Sam returns home and makes up his mind to confess his love for Athrika. his confession takes a wrong turn when someone tries to frame him for something he didn't do.
Sam joins one of the prestigious colleges based in Coimbatore. The real story begins when Dev Aryan enters his life. Though he was a senior , he helped Sam in many ways. Dev falls for Jenny without even meeting her. when Dev and Jenny finally meet Sparks fly.
when you advance into the story, you will realise that Dev had other intentions too. Is Dev a wolf in Sheep's clothing? Will there be a happy ending? Was this the silence before the storm?
You need to find out for yourself.
I would rate it 3.75/5
August 5, 2016
When I began reading this book, I had this feeling of nostalgia clinging to me right from the word ‘go’. The story is set closer to home, which made me familiar with everything written in it. Shankar weaves a beautiful concoction of friendship and love that would enthrall you till the end. You can easily reminisce to your school and college days, as the narration is thoroughly captivating.
The story is all about a character named Sam S.Prathik. He narrates from his perspective of his friendships, love, happiness, failure, rejection and heartbreaks. Though the title of the book is The DEViant (which pertains to another character named Dev Aryan), it is Sam’s life which takes up almost 200 pages of the book. But the ultimate impact is left by Dev Aryan, who with his minimal page presence finds himself a place in every reader’s heart. The female character Jenny is portrayed as a bold & independent woman. She actually turns out to be a role-model and an angel in the lives of the two protagonists. Shankar has depicted her as the catalyst of the story. She drives the plot with her deferential presence. The other characters of the story – Shalyn, Nihal, Varun, Abhay, Vignesh, Madav and Athrika are given equal importance and each of their characterization has depth in them.
Above all the characters, it is Shankar’s narration that makes the story endearing to read. He vividly explains each and every scene, almost paints a picture of it. His approach of showing, rather than telling, works to a great extent. Although the entire story is an emotional drama in itself, you can never miss the tongue-in-cheek dialogues and some tense moments. Just when you think that the plot is about to turn routine, Shankar introduces a major twist and an unexpected setback for the character Sam. And, another aspect which I loved is, there were no mushy scenes or overload of booze (as seen in most of the young adult fiction out there). The plot was clean & fresh, even the romantic scenes were natural. The climax was mindblowing, I must say. It wasn’t cliched and had a touch of reality to it.
There were no visible flaws in the book. Being a debut novel, it is surprising that the book has come out with utmost perfection. The diction of the author is appreciable, though some words might need a dictionary for the casual reader.:-)
Summing up, The DEViant is a must-read for those who think that Indian young adult fiction is nothing but crap. Here comes a book with such finesse that would make you feel along with it!
The story is all about a character named Sam S.Prathik. He narrates from his perspective of his friendships, love, happiness, failure, rejection and heartbreaks. Though the title of the book is The DEViant (which pertains to another character named Dev Aryan), it is Sam’s life which takes up almost 200 pages of the book. But the ultimate impact is left by Dev Aryan, who with his minimal page presence finds himself a place in every reader’s heart. The female character Jenny is portrayed as a bold & independent woman. She actually turns out to be a role-model and an angel in the lives of the two protagonists. Shankar has depicted her as the catalyst of the story. She drives the plot with her deferential presence. The other characters of the story – Shalyn, Nihal, Varun, Abhay, Vignesh, Madav and Athrika are given equal importance and each of their characterization has depth in them.
Above all the characters, it is Shankar’s narration that makes the story endearing to read. He vividly explains each and every scene, almost paints a picture of it. His approach of showing, rather than telling, works to a great extent. Although the entire story is an emotional drama in itself, you can never miss the tongue-in-cheek dialogues and some tense moments. Just when you think that the plot is about to turn routine, Shankar introduces a major twist and an unexpected setback for the character Sam. And, another aspect which I loved is, there were no mushy scenes or overload of booze (as seen in most of the young adult fiction out there). The plot was clean & fresh, even the romantic scenes were natural. The climax was mindblowing, I must say. It wasn’t cliched and had a touch of reality to it.
There were no visible flaws in the book. Being a debut novel, it is surprising that the book has come out with utmost perfection. The diction of the author is appreciable, though some words might need a dictionary for the casual reader.:-)
Summing up, The DEViant is a must-read for those who think that Indian young adult fiction is nothing but crap. Here comes a book with such finesse that would make you feel along with it!
December 19, 2016
The DEViant - book review
The blurb was a bit interesting on the lines of a novel based on friendship and a clumsy knot that throws the involved in a situation to get out from. The cover is not my favorite but suits the theme and story.
The protagonist - Sam. Nothing new about him. All the more an ordinary youngster who diligently follows what the movies had taught him - school, college, friends, love, love-failure. It was more like reading one’s diary. Other characters involved are also sketched neat, only that the character definition was not on par. It was more like same people with different names at some point. Could have been better. The character ‘Jenny’ is a saver, someone better of the lot.
The novel is about 280 pages that I found a tad difficult for the story. The author might have concentrated on giving a crispier deal for a story with scenes that we are so used to. Though, for a debutant, it is fair enough - I would only advise to keep it simple for the next. The language was decent - and there’s room to improve a lot more. The descriptions were fair enough, only if the author had some portions chunked.
The editor has done an excellent job with the novel. No glaring mistakes as such. But, a few words didn’t sit appropriately, and I thought, maybe, the common newbie syndrome to flaunt some vocabulary. Could have been avoided for the story’s sake.
Many parts fall under the ‘old wine’ category.
I was glad that the author kept in check with the locality, and the language and kind of dialogues between the characters were much real. There were books that I read with Indian premises but language as that of a different country. The author seems to be keen on delivering a good novel with real characters than draw something overdramatic to add more cheesy stuff to the story. Kudos!
I’d also appreciate the author for properly following geography throughout the novel. Familiar places, at least to me. Very native and fresh, it is rare to find down south in novels.
Might be of interest to college goers or those who just finished their college, as it didn’t clearly resonate enough with me, that is.
Expecting a better flick with your next - All the best Shankar.
The blurb was a bit interesting on the lines of a novel based on friendship and a clumsy knot that throws the involved in a situation to get out from. The cover is not my favorite but suits the theme and story.
The protagonist - Sam. Nothing new about him. All the more an ordinary youngster who diligently follows what the movies had taught him - school, college, friends, love, love-failure. It was more like reading one’s diary. Other characters involved are also sketched neat, only that the character definition was not on par. It was more like same people with different names at some point. Could have been better. The character ‘Jenny’ is a saver, someone better of the lot.
The novel is about 280 pages that I found a tad difficult for the story. The author might have concentrated on giving a crispier deal for a story with scenes that we are so used to. Though, for a debutant, it is fair enough - I would only advise to keep it simple for the next. The language was decent - and there’s room to improve a lot more. The descriptions were fair enough, only if the author had some portions chunked.
The editor has done an excellent job with the novel. No glaring mistakes as such. But, a few words didn’t sit appropriately, and I thought, maybe, the common newbie syndrome to flaunt some vocabulary. Could have been avoided for the story’s sake.
Many parts fall under the ‘old wine’ category.
I was glad that the author kept in check with the locality, and the language and kind of dialogues between the characters were much real. There were books that I read with Indian premises but language as that of a different country. The author seems to be keen on delivering a good novel with real characters than draw something overdramatic to add more cheesy stuff to the story. Kudos!
I’d also appreciate the author for properly following geography throughout the novel. Familiar places, at least to me. Very native and fresh, it is rare to find down south in novels.
Might be of interest to college goers or those who just finished their college, as it didn’t clearly resonate enough with me, that is.
Expecting a better flick with your next - All the best Shankar.
September 11, 2016
The title, summary and the promise of fresh writing allured me to pick this book up. The story is a typical young adult fiction. Sam, our protagonist has just finished his schooling and is preparing for entrance exams. Life goes on for him just like a teenager. He eventually gets into college, falls in loves, gets his heart broken, makes friends for a lifetime but loses them too.
The story almost felt autobiographical at one point given the writer’s background. The language, the diction and the description were spot on. In fact, I found it extremely hard to believe this writer is actually a rookie. Evidently the writer either has an extremely talented editor or has mad writing skills. Each and every scene was narrated vividly and tastefully. The characterization was initially perfect, but as the characters grew up, they still sounded much like teenagers. I know in reality, not people actually grow up, but then, it would have been wiser to stick to the fictional flow of growing up. All the characters were given equal importance and were charted out clearly. In a story like this where there are plenty of characters it is often common to find all the secondary characters to be sounding similar. Thankfully, this writer made a clear demarcation of each character immaterial of their age. The story doesn’t really have a fresh premise. It’s your typical young adult story with all characteristics of that genre in place. However, the language and the narration style made a world of difference. I found the platonic relationship between Sam and Jenny a bit forced. The climax was a bit of cliché in a way, but it did have that touch of reality. The summary was a wee bit misleading. The title however is a bit strange but, was justified by the climax of the story. The cover could have been better.
MY SAY: Perfectly narrated YA story.
RATING: 4/5
The story almost felt autobiographical at one point given the writer’s background. The language, the diction and the description were spot on. In fact, I found it extremely hard to believe this writer is actually a rookie. Evidently the writer either has an extremely talented editor or has mad writing skills. Each and every scene was narrated vividly and tastefully. The characterization was initially perfect, but as the characters grew up, they still sounded much like teenagers. I know in reality, not people actually grow up, but then, it would have been wiser to stick to the fictional flow of growing up. All the characters were given equal importance and were charted out clearly. In a story like this where there are plenty of characters it is often common to find all the secondary characters to be sounding similar. Thankfully, this writer made a clear demarcation of each character immaterial of their age. The story doesn’t really have a fresh premise. It’s your typical young adult story with all characteristics of that genre in place. However, the language and the narration style made a world of difference. I found the platonic relationship between Sam and Jenny a bit forced. The climax was a bit of cliché in a way, but it did have that touch of reality. The summary was a wee bit misleading. The title however is a bit strange but, was justified by the climax of the story. The cover could have been better.
MY SAY: Perfectly narrated YA story.
RATING: 4/5
April 3, 2020
I was provided this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review:
This is the story of Sid, who is exactly like author (from the same city, same education etc.) so this continues the tradition of kind of autobiographical first books modeled after (5 Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat).
Now this effort is not bad but this book wasn't there for me. Despite being the title and promised as main lead in the blurb 'Dev Aryan' doesn't appear till the 3rd act.
Also the story is set in the South India so of course set there and I liked it but couldn't connect with it. Narration is very good but the character himself appeared kinda whiny to me. Well unrequited love and all but how much of a log-head can you be that you can't understand something which is good for you.
In all a very good first book and I wish the writer all the best for next stories.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
This is the story of Sid, who is exactly like author (from the same city, same education etc.) so this continues the tradition of kind of autobiographical first books modeled after (5 Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat).
Now this effort is not bad but this book wasn't there for me. Despite being the title and promised as main lead in the blurb 'Dev Aryan' doesn't appear till the 3rd act.
Also the story is set in the South India so of course set there and I liked it but couldn't connect with it. Narration is very good but the character himself appeared kinda whiny to me. Well unrequited love and all but how much of a log-head can you be that you can't understand something which is good for you.
In all a very good first book and I wish the writer all the best for next stories.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
January 11, 2017
The DEViant is the story of Sam, an engineering student and his life shuttling between the beautiful cities of Chennai, Tiruppur, Coimbatore and Bengaluru. The story talks all about Sam’s unlikely and unparalleled friendships, board and entrance examination struggles, innocent times of uncomplicated crushes that feel like the most honest kind of love and heart breaks.
I really enjoyed the first few chapters of the book because they were like a walk down the memory lane. The description of the protagonist’s life during and after school left me reminiscing about my own school and college experiences.....Read the complete review at http://www.coml13.com/index.php/2016/...
I really enjoyed the first few chapters of the book because they were like a walk down the memory lane. The description of the protagonist’s life during and after school left me reminiscing about my own school and college experiences.....Read the complete review at http://www.coml13.com/index.php/2016/...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews