A short review of this book was posted on Goodreads. This one is more detailed.
#jobachayhainsangsamaitlo
Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samet Lo is a story of Sikandar and Liza and some awful characters around them.
Plot Summary
Sikandar is a weird, rude and workaholic loner. He is insomniac, just like me and cannot fall asleep. If he sleeps, he gets nightmares. Let’s just say Sikandar is male version of me. I am also a weird, rude and workaholic loner.
So, Sikandar and Liza run into each other in historic and romantic city Rome (Italy).
Liza is Sikandar’s opposite. She friendly, cheerful and balanced. Although, she does share one trait, partiall – she is also alone.
She is optimistic, he is not. She is friendly, he is not. She’s cheerful, he’s broody. She’s balanced, he’s a bit of an extreme. Liza tries to befriend Sikander, and he pushes her away.
His stubbornness, however, is not match for her perseverence. They fall in love, truly, madly, deeply. It is the trademark Farhat Ishtiaq romance so be preparred to have goofy smiles and dreamy eyes when you read it.
The story moves back and forth in time as we see Sikandar and his past and the relationships he onces had and cherished. We see Liza and her family and the evil she dealt with.
Just as Sikandar learns to forget his past, move on and start a new life with Liza, the past returns to haunt them. Suddenly, this romantic novel turns into a tragedy. Liza and Sikandar have both suffered at the hands of one person – someone very close to them both.
Things blow out of proportion and the world seems to crumble, or so it seems. But… All is well that ends well.
Oh, wait, the above sentence may sound like trivializing it, but it is not. Every twist and turn, every paragraph is engaging and entertaining. Liza and Sikandar’s relationship is heartwarming. Even though I knew a happily-ever-after end is promised, I was anxious until it did happen.
Review
First of all, this review is another example of rework. Some of my reviews have disappeared from Goodreads and I have to write them again. Ah, the pain.
Years ago, I once had a dream. It was a well-developed story of sorts. The dream was first half of “Jo Bachey Hain Sang Samait Lo” including Sikandar’s trauma, almost scene to scene. However, I had never thought of penning anything but dear-diary moments until then. I, therefore, left it for Farhat Ishtiaq to write. And, she did a great job. So, I guess we all are winners here.
This was published after a couple of years of my dream. No offence to her or her fans. I am just saying many people can get same idea for a book.
Alright, now, let’s discuss the book.
This is a typical Farhat Ishtiaq book, pure romance everywhere. I cannot say this for all of her books but Farhat Ishtiaq knows how to write romance. At the same time, she knows how to tug readers’ heartstrings. She can make you laugh, she will make you cry and she will make you want to fall in love.
It is just right combination of Farhat’s trademark chemistry between the lead; the tragedy the characters go through; the evil relatives; and fair amount of mystery and twist. As I said before, I could have totally written the same book and I am happy that I didn’t have to 😀
Don’t read it if you take the tragedies to your heart.
That’s enough. See you later!
Update 10-Jul-2023: How do I feel about the screen adaptaion? Read here.
Shabana Mukhtar.
