More than just the story. Review on Golden Gate, The - Vikram Seth

When I first discovered that 'the golden gate' was part of my syllabus, I was more than depressed. A whole novel in verse? what could be more deadening boring that that!

But I was to be proven wrong. The verse, simple and easy to read, grabs you by the collar. You are literally 'whirlpooled' into the characters' worlds, and you live with them, like an invisible guest in their lives.

And through it all, seth makes you forget it's verse that you are reading. The inbuilt rhythm paces you like a strict coach, unputdownable till the end. but the beauty lies in passages that suddenly light up your reading... (the whole book is written in sonnets, end to end) ... a quaint ode to Night, a message from the author to the reader, where seth reminds you it's just a book about people he's created. And with the same ease that he switches between subliminal descriptions and quick-witted racy conversation, he pulls you back into the lives of his characters.

At the end of it, you feel like you've lived the lives of all the characters, you feel you've written gold gate with seth, gone through his ecstasy and frustration while writing it...

One of its kind.

If you are afraid of poetry, but willing enough to open a book in verse, this is your lucky day!