The Orange Hangover (2012)

THEN:
He had the coolest lifestyle — dinner with friends, best restaurants in town, first day first show of practically every film released, a decently paying job, parties all night and a good girlfriend.

NOW:
He is stuck in his small hometown with zero parties, movies, cool restaurants or friends. The ‘good’ girlfriend has turned ‘bad’. He has no cool job. Everyone thinks he is a total nutter and there is only one girl who seems to understand his beliefs and values but speaks too less. And just to make things worse, he manages to tangle himself in a terrible case of extreme crime.

Would he be able to follow his heart and stick to his values and ambitions? Would he ever be able to win the girl he likes? Would the terrible case of extreme crime ever be solved?

The Orange Hangover make some pertinent points about the vicissitudes of life and delves into the psyche of young people which eventually have to make a difficult decision in life sooner or later — follow your heart or your brain. It is not surprising to guess in such kind of quick-young-fiction where the narrative is headed and exactly where it will end.

The story of this book, although much of it is set at his workplace, has little to do with that improbable job role. There is an inherent sincerity and grace in the relationship between the conversations of the lead protagonist and the online friend grows. However, the writing is adequate, most of the situations and reactions ranges from weird to abnormal. The murder set-up sequence is amateurishly handled and is almost forced into the narrative to give the all usual masala fare.

It does not provide anything new from what we have not read before in such kind of books. The only thing you can appreciate is the sincerity with which author feel for the central character. Read it if you must.