Review of Faraway Music by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu

Book name : Faraway Music
Author : SreeMoyee Piyu Kundu
Genre : Fiction
Publisher : Hatchette
Copy : Review Copy from Mysmartprice.com
Rating: 4/5
To cut a long story short: Poignant, powerful  and lyrical

Synopsis (from Good reads)
 On a long-haul international flight writer Piya Choudhury tells the one story she hasn't yet told - her own...

Loved and indulged by her mother and grandparents, but haunted by the mysterious absence of her father, Piya grows up in Kolkata, a gifted and impetuous child who pursues her studies with the same passion as she does her first few adolescent crushes, until a savage encounter leaves her repulsed. She moves to Mumbai hoping to become a journalist and falls deeply in love with her editor, Abir, but when a controversial story she is working on is stymied, she is forced to choose between the man she loves and her own integrity. Years later, she is settled in New York, married to a renowned artist who helps her find herself creatively. A liberated, successful, and dynamic writer, Piya has everything she's ever wanted, until she is revisited by her past...

Sensuous, profound, lyrical and moving, Faraway Musicis a story of family, friendship, fame, love and loss - and all that lies in between...

My thoughts

It wasn't love at first sight for me with this book.I almost labored for 40-50 pages till i could start appreciating the awesomeness of the book. I am so glad i didn't put it away! The protagonist,Pia Choudhry is an acclaimed writer.She narrates her story to a journalist on a long flight journey. The narrative flits between the past and the present as Pia reminisces about her crushes, friendships, flames and lost loves right from her childhood. I started enjoying the book when Pia moves to Mumbai to intern with a newspaper. It was intriguing to read about the life of an intern in the big, bad world of journalism. From being asked to bring chai to being relegated to running errands, Pia unexpectedly lucks out and becomes a name to reckon with. She also makes friends and learns a lot about life. A job shift later , she ends up in one of the biggest newspapers in India and  falls in love with her editor. But things go awry leaving Pia emotionally wrecked. Will she find true love and come to terms with the various demons inside her? You'll have to read the book to find that out!    

  Sreemoyee's writing is drenched with passion and is one of the most poignant proses I've read in a while. Most characters are extremely well-etched, and Sreemoyee has done a great job in maintaining a melancholic tone. The book aptly captures the dynamics of contemporary relationships, and I am sure a lot of people will relate to Pia's efforts to find love and more importantly stay in love. I am assuming Sreemoyee has drawn heavily from her her own life as a journalist and later as a PR head. All i can say is "What a beautiful debut !" Looking forward to reading more from her. 

Overall a wonderful book I'll recommend to people who enjoy good  Indian fiction. 

My rating -4/5 

 Disclaimer: The book was provided for review by Mysmartprice.com .All opinions expressed in this review are my own.