Among many rising Indian authors of romance genre, Ritesh is one of the promising. The novel ‘A Walk in My Shoes’ is such an easy and heartfelt read that you could finish it on any given weekend if stationed at home. The story emanates from the Indian student community and campus. It follows Rounak and his tumultuous love tales in Jaipur’s engineering college.

Rounak has lived so far a better off life as a good son. However, life begins showing its colours to him when he steps out from his hometown Bikaner to Jaipur for a B.E. degree. The novel is narrated from an engineer’s point of view. It has got segmented into many semesters, each one revealing something engrossing from his life, college, and friend circle.

The initial part of the novel is for students renting at flats and PGs – rather their first couple of semesters go in settling themselves from choosing flats to locality to friends and much more.

Evidently readers will find a plenty of engineering college nuisance and nitty-gritty throughout the story. Rounak finds true friendship in Soumya. Both are brilliant with no spikes of ego clashes until Manali makes an entry. The novel takes time to turn out to be a romance driven book. How does that happen? That is worth discovery by yourself.

As the love element augments in the story, the protagonist feels the heat of reactions from friends and other pals. A BCA girl from Bikaner engages him in a long distance relationship, but it didn’t work. Manali and Rounak get along well but at the cost of friendship. Manali was an ex of Soumya. Things didn’t go well between both friends. Rounak had to choose one holistically, in fact, he wanted to keep love and friendship separate. But it didn’t work out!

The friendship bond of Jai and Veeru was broken and the news spread like fire in our branch. A new pal of mine was Ravi and his was Priyank. Manali was happy to know about this but didn’t share her happiness in front of me because she was the only person who was aware of my actual loss.

Another long phase in the story is Rounak’s discovery of some appalling disease. He hides but eventually handles it maturely, didn’t inform to his parents, and initially even not to Manali. However, some unfortunate incidents alter the course of love. Surprisingly, Manali didn’t retreat. It was Rounak who thought of things in an otherwise manner.

Will you please share what is happening in your life? I shared every detail with her from the night of vomiting to the return trip to Bikaner.

Can young hearted students like Rounak and Manali ever understand the veracity of true love – how it happens, what sacrifice it demands, its feasibility, and etc. Rounak obliged to keep pain away from Manali’s life. However in doing that he is inflicting pain on himself as well.

With the passing time, she got occupied with her college assignments and projects and I was occupied with my treatment. Many times I felt bad; how could she move on so easily and a few times I felt happy for her as to how nicely she had handled herself. Very soon our calls went unanswered at the other end and we both just stalked each other on social sites. Sometimes I even cried for forcing her to go away when I needed her the most in my life.

Views on the Cover Page:

The front cover is simple with no faces but a broken heart.  From the shoes, it is tough to decipher the gender of the two half figures. But it gets in the air that it is between mainly about two people if friendship is the concurrent theme. A colorful modern-day appealing cover, though it could have been better. Still it manages well at its own.

Views on the Characters:

Rounak and Soumya shines throughout the novel. From the female side, Manali and Pooja did their job with a charming panache. Rounak was portrayed with flaws, changed with time, and stood tough with time and crises. In the banter fills many characters from being roommates to be at college canteen to crowd watchers. Since the novel is narrated in a semester chronicle, and being a campus story, it ought to have a long cast of auxiliary character. The author didn’t pop them out so often.

Final Note:

For the sake of love, he suffered abandonment, betrayal, misery of fate, disorientation and what not. Even though this novel addresses many virtue and deeds of life in various shades, yet it will be remembered for love…true love. The narration of the story is focused, well-balanced, and finely executed with proper timelines.