A Price to Love

Smita Das Jain’s latest book, A Price to Love, is a contemporary romance set in NCR. The corporate world not just provides the perfect backdrop for the story, but is an important character intricately witnessing the story unfold. Love, intimacy, infidelity, career, and mental health are a few of the varied themes Smita has addressed in this fictional take.

The title perfectly conveys the varied emotions holding the story together.

The story revolves around Sonia Ajmera, an IIM graduate. An ambitious young woman, she is employed at one of the largest media companies in the country. Married to her MBA batch mate and best friend, she seems to have it all. Alas, the picture is far from true! She desires to rise high in the corporate world, but struggles to strike a balance between her personal and professional responsibilities. Sameep, her husband’s nagging behaviour, and frequent complaints push her into the arms of Mehul, her subordinate. Her boss, Rishabh, admires her a lot for her professional acumen. And soon, the thin line between professional and personal dissipates.

Vocabulary is Smita’s strength, and she plays by it with panache. Transcending across different timelines, the narrative flows smoothly and makes for an interesting reading experience. The diary entries played an important role in weaving the narration together. Her vulnerability is laid open in those pages, and one gets to see the greyer aspect of her character from close quarters.

Smita portrays Sonia’s fiery, ambitious nature to T. But the major lead is deeply flawed and that’s a surprise, for rarely does one come across such a main character. Her troubled past never leaves her alone and affects her present at every stage.

A writer plays a prominent role in connecting the reader with the characters, and Smita has performed this role fabulously. To a reader, these are not just fictional creations, these are real-life people with whom we form a bond, either love or despise them. In this novel, I went through a gamut of emotions. There were times when I despised and judged Sonia’s actions. Sometimes I failed to connect with her and struggled to understand her transgressions. And there were occasions when I empathised with her.

My only grouse… It would have been interesting to see her face the actions of her infidelity, rather than being let go carefree.

Also, while I respect the author for touching upon mental health, I felt it could have been further explored.

I was rooting for Sameep all throughout, but the ending left me heartbroken. The poor guy deserves better! His patience, understanding nature, and desperate attempts to make the relationship work made him the actual hero of the story for me.

Campus life, the hectic demands of a corporate career, and life in the NCR region are well depicted in this raw portrayal of love and emotions.

A few memorable quotes –

So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.

Unspoken words are never obvious.

You cannot control what is gone. The best way forward is to accept it.

A Price to Love is a unique and refreshing take on “love” and the price one must pay for it.

Wordsopedia Rating 4/5

This book review is part of Blogchatter’s Book Review Program

Buy your copy here on Amazon.

About the author

Amongst the Top 50 Most Influential Authors of 2021, as per Delhi Wire, Smita Das Jain is a writer by passion and a coach by profession. A certified Creative Writing and Digital Content Writing Specialist, she has published a repertoire of award-winning Short Stories, Poems, Articles and books. Her short story collection ‘A Slice of Life-Every Person Has A Story’ reached #1 in the Short Story category on Kindle Store on its first weekend.

Get in touch with the author on her website.