It is a heartening story of how an eighteen year old girl gives up her successful modelling career to have her baby, she also cuts ties with her family and the love of her life, Ankush.

It Happens for a Reason

By Preeti Shenoy

140 pages, Westland Ltd

It Happens for a Reason is a very interesting story of Vipasha, which includes courage, drama, romance, and everyday fiction. It is a heartening story of how an eighteen year old girl gives up her successful modelling career to have her baby, she also cuts ties with her family and the love of her life, Ankush.

The story starts with Vipasha, Vee to friends giving birth to Aryan. It then moves to the present, 15 years later where she is a single mom with a teen son. She has two unusual jobs for better upbringing of her son as she has no one who can support them. She works in a gym as an instructor and at her house, she runs a dog boarding facility, Paw-Factor.

There is a flashback where Vee remembers her life as a teenager. She has rich parent who provides her with everything except their love. Her friend’s mother Ammu fills that void in her life. She has got an amazing best friend, Suchi. As the story proceeds, you find out more about Vee. How she spends her holidays, how she meets Ankush, how she meets Manav, a very good friend, how she gets into modelling, and most importantly how destiny throws her back from time to time.

In the present, Vee is still single and witty. Her world now includes her son Aryan, Suchi and her husband, Prakash. She is happy with her life until an unexpected incident at Paw-Factor turns her world upside down. She tries her best to bring things back to normal. In the meantime, she meets Saurabh and there is a chemistry between them. That’s when her first love and the father of her kid, Ankush comes back in her life. You have to read the book to find out what turmoil Ankush’s arrival brings in Vee’s life.

It is an interesting story of a quirky woman who discovers how a single choice can change your life in drastic measures. Closure is very important in every relationship, if you didn’t get a closure, broken relationships will always haunt your present. All the characters felt real. The language of the novel is simple, neat, and flawless. The emotions are well expressed. The story signifies the title beautifully. What I don’t understand is the significance of Saurabh’s character in the book. As soon as Ankush comes back the limelight shifts to him and stays there which seems a bit unreal. I also didn’t like the fact that Vee never confesses her feelings to Ankush in the story. Although the novel has happy ending, but it fails to express the romance in the end. Also, I felt that Ankush’s character deserved some more leverage. However, it was a pulsating experience.

Preeti Shenoy is a gifted story teller. She also has an amazing insight when it comes to relationships, love, and friendship. Her main characters are always very strong. Through this novel, she tells the story of struggle of a single mom in present scenario. She explains how a person have to endure the scrutiny if they choose to defy the norms. This story has an inspiration to all those who are doubtful about their choices. She has shown a very strong and friendly bond between Vee and her son. She doesn’t deviate from the plot of the story. She did an amazing work in building reader’s curiosity.

The novel has a very nice and absorbing concept. It is a good fast-read fiction which keeps you engrossed. Give it try if you want a quick and stress free book to pass your weekend.