By Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, Grade B

 

Travelling from the by-lanes of Kolkata, to enjoying the beautiful rains of Mumbai, to the harsh winters of Delhi, and finally to the plush penthouses of New York, Faraway Music is the story of an international bestselling author, Piya Choudhary. Traversing through the ups and downs of her life; finding and losing love, family and friends, Piya takes us through an enthralling journey of her life while unveiling it to a journalist on a flight from New York to Delhi.

On a long-haul international flight, writer Piya Choudhary 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 adolescent crushes, until a salvage 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’s 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 renowned artist David Cicconi who helps her find herself creatively. Together, they are a power-house of talent. 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 Music is a story of family, friendship, fame, love and loss – and all that lies in between.

Having spent her formative years in Kolkata under the watchful eyes of her grandparents, Piya is introduced to us as a disciplined and intelligent girl, who excels in academics and co-curricula’s alike. Growing up, Piya wishes to pursue her career in Media, finding her way to the cut-throat world of Journalism in Mumbai. While in Mumbai, she falls in love with her editor, Abir, and on the brink of getting married, their relationship falls apart due to selfish reasons of their own. Leaving her job, she moves to Delhi to start life afresh as a PR consultant. In Delhi, also known as ‘Dilwalo ki Dilli’, Piya surely does lose her dil to one of the most renowned artists’ world over, David Cicconi. Married, and now settled in New York, Piya takes up writing as a professional career, and soon becomes an international best-selling author. Life seems to be all hunky-dory for Piya till her past comes knocking at her door, making her question her own integrity.

 

The story was interesting and intriguing, and surely raised the question ‘What is going to happen next?’ in my mind many a times. The characters are simple, real, and are people with whom I could relate to. My favourite was Karim Bhai, the friendly taxi driver in Mumbai who never left Piya’s side during her entire stay in the city. His story was as real as yours or mine, his honesty winning my heart. Kundu has vividly described the scenes, as well as her characters.

‘In the mellow mid-morning light, I could faintly see his muscles, abundantly inviting. His hair was long, but neatly tied back into a ponytail. Traces of blond highlights interspersed his tresses. He sported a thick copper bracelet and a tattoo.’

There are a lot of twists among the characters and of course throughout the story of Faraway Music as well.

However, while the story was nice, I found something lacking in the book. It was just that: nice. No zing. No adrenaline. No fervent wishing that it would never end. Just plain old nice. Maybe it was the narrating style that did not appeal to me. Or maybe the fact that umpteen boos have been written as a semi-autobiography, and this one did not seem any different. There are also several typing errors throughout, which made me want to take out my pen and make the corrections in the book itself. It took me time to warm up to the story, as the initial chapters were boring. But once I got into the flow of events, I cannot deny that I enjoyed reading the book.

To sum up, Faraway Music is a so-so book. If you read it, you will enjoy it. And even if you don’t, you will not have missed much