#IAm16ICanRape ~ Book Review

Kirtida Gautam’s #IAm16ICanRape, is the latest of my read. When I started reading, I knew this will pique my interest but little did I know this book would be impactful.

#IAm16ICanRape - To be honest, the title first gave me a shock. It was more like a statement than a title. As it implies, this book talks about rape and juveniles. It exposes the untold side of rape and also questions the sensibility of Indian Juvenile Law. ‘I am 16, Can I rape?’ If a person has the ability to do such a heinous crime, how come he is not an adult? This question is rightly hammered in our minds.

Kudos to the author for she chose this highly sensitive topic for her first novel and she has done justice to it.

Hopping to and fro between the chapters, is an interesting sequence to read. An introductory flowchart as a guide to read the chapters is innovative. The story is grounded in Bangalore, the city where I spent my last year. So it was easy for me to get connected to the localities mentioned.

About the author Kirtida Gautam, she is a clinical psychologist turned screenplay writer from FTII, Pune. Kirtida has used her screenplay skill effortlessly and it worked well for this plot.

Subhangi Tyagi, the rape victim survivor. I was moved by the courage she showed when she admitted that she felt responsible for what happened to her but not guilty. I liked her firm attitude. At one point, unknowingly my eyes welled up with tears, when Subhangi was talking about the difficult moment she underwent. I got emotionally involved.

Aarush Kashyap, a champ for his grandfather, fun loving and caring to his friends, lovable to his girlfriend and a charming guy who any girl would dream of. Each characters in their narration tried to help us to know more about him. But who is he exactly? Just because the story revolved around him, does this mean he is the protagonist? Well, maybe or maybe not. And I liked all the different shades in his character.

Characters were well etched with strong personality and powerful emotions. Every character is pivotal and each of their narration helps to understand the story in different perspective. I liked reading Pihu's chapters and her relationship with Aarush which was sweet and innocent. Other than her, few other characters impressed me with their credibility. Rudransh Kashyap, Ananya and Taz to mention.

During the read I came across couple of words being repetitive. More than one character used the same word multiple times and I couldn’t avoid noticing. Once I got a hang of the story, I couldn't keep this book down. The story maintained its pace throughout except for its length. At the closing, this book changed my perspective on this issue.

#IAm16ICanRape is a mind-boggling psychological thriller and an intense drama which keeps you gripped till the end. Altogether, it is an engrossing story with a profound capacity to stay with us for long. A must have in the must read list.

This book is available at Amazon and Flipkart.