I was intrigued when I heard the title. I have a soft spot for any book set in India and am in a phase when I seek out such books. India was One fit the spot perfectly. The book opens with a suspense and I was hooked.

I just wish the author had struck to the initial style instead of making the book “India 101 for dummies”. The book devotes a chapter to explaining cricket (and also baseball), one to explain navrathri, one to explain the intricacies of Indian wedding, Indian geography and such.

The narrative takes over the story and I felt a distinct disconnect with the lead characters – Jai and Kahani. Because of the narrative style I felt the book generalized the characters too much instead of focusing on personalities of the characters.The book also stereotypes the society instead of trying to develop the characters with quirks. So much potential to be a fictional work instead of descriptive text.

The author tried to bring two major issues into focus – the North-South divide and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. I wish he had struck to one and worked it in to the story  better. The terrorist attacks seemed like an after thought.

Happy endings in books are nice but the ending in this book sounds very forced and unrealistic.

I know I am being nit-picky but the story had so much potential and I am just another hungry reader. A little more action and less narrative would have made the book stellar.

To know more about the book, the art and poem featured in the book (both are spectacular) and where to buy it check out www.IndiaWasOne.com/FindOut

I received a free copy of the book from the author for review. All opinions are my own