A captivating fusion of an age-old mystery meets romance in the whirlwind of time and suspense, Nalanda: Until We Meet Again by Gautaam Borah is a book you must bookmark if you want to read a romantic suspense thriller. This is a good piece of writing, and this is nothing short of watching the story on an OTT platform.

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“CAN LOVE OVERCOME ALL LIMITS TO SUCCESS?”

A very Happy New year to all of you in 2023, peeps! I want to take this opportunity at the onset to wish each and every one of you a very happy and fun-filled 2023. May you all be happy, content, blessed, and, most importantly, surrounded by books!

At the start of the New Year, how about reading a romance that also includes elements of old-fashioned mystery, a dash of politics, and romance? Sounds smashing, doesn’t it?

Well, I thought likewise. With 2023 here, I must confess that 2022 was full of surprises, hope, and positivity as well as challenges, obstacles, and trials for me. And yet, I am back again, here with my usual musings, taking you through my thoughts on another brilliant romance that is as mesmerising as the fireworks you may have witnessed on New Year’s Eve, folks! 

Ok, let me be honest here. Romance and mystery always make for a stellar combo. A tale that combines not only love but also a mystery that dates back in time in a seamless manner results in a book as magnificent as Nalanda: Until We Meet Again by Gautaam Borah. This is a romance story that spans from Oxford to Nalanda, shrouded in age-old mystery and wrapped in emotions that splay themselves across the canvas as the story of Neil and Aanchal progresses. 

The story begins with Neil meeting Aanchal at Oxford University and the two falling in love with each other. When Aanchal returns to India and joins an NGO, Neil joins a telecom company, little do they know that strange twists of fate will soon become a part of their journey. As Neil becomes a part of ruthless corporate politics on the one hand, on the other end, Aanchal’s father has presumably hatched some other diabolical plan, whereas Martina, who happens to be Neil’s colleague and supporter, is a mysterious character too and presumably poised to play a much bigger role in the next. 

As Aanchal vanishes and Neil finds himself at the crossroads of the century, he realises that he must embark on a journey to Nalanda to complete a much greater task in order to bring Aanchal back into his life. Whether Neil will be able to do so, well, you’ve got to read it to find out for yourself.

To begin, I must commend Gautaam on his brilliant fusion of so many elements, with the plot flitting effortlessly back and forth between them, each layer unraveling as the story progresses and a new aspect of each and every character emerging. Technically speaking, you cannot actually classify this one “per se” in one specific genre. That, I feel, is one of the biggest USPs of the book. 

A multi-faceted, dynamic piece of writing, this one had so much to offer, and that too in a simple yet relatable manner. I mean, I could completely relate to the kind of guy Neil actually is—simple—and even to the kind of character Aanchal was portrayed to be. One of the highlights—I strongly feel that this was a strong point in Gautam’s writing. 

The story’s flitting between Oxford and Nalanda gave the uncanny feeling of being in the middle of a lovey-dovey tale that was magical, mystical, and had an indulgent facet to read and explore from the story’s point of view. It was engaging to decipher how their paths crossed. Also interesting was how Aanchal’s father had a controlling personality. It became murky when Neil started having visions of a life that he did not recall at all. If you ask me, there is one superb element of suspense added here, which surely serves as an interesting appetizer for the next in the course, aka a great clickbait to the next in the series as this book ended on a cliffhanger.

A well-formulated tale, this one is captivating and ends in a manner that leaves the reader gasping for more, as the narrative in this one itself is engaging enough to keep one hooked for hours and compel one to finish it in a single sitting. We are surely awaiting the next instalment to find out how the story will proceed. 

simplistic writing, albeit done tastefully. As a teeny-tiny critical observation, a little more attention given, perhaps to the sentence structures, could polish the writing even further, taking it a long way ahead.

All in all, a great romance. which also has elements that make this one of the good romantic thrillers of the month.

So, I hope you guys liked my thoughts on Nalanda: Until we meet again, by Gautaam Borah. Let me know in the comments what you think of this one. Stay tuned with us right here at Booxoul for the best in the fields of entertainment, lifestyle, finance, fun, fashion, and education. Tech and gadgets, as well as all things bookish

Adios Amigos!