Impulse revolves around various stories of modern India. The main theme being love, it breaks the romantic notions of love to confront you with today’s realities. Most of these stories end in tragedies, with a few happy endings here and there. Written by a 22-year old author from Chandigarh, the stories are of young India by a young Indian.

What worked

Impulse provides a very relatable set of stories. Stories that don’t have a historical, far off angle to them. They are set in this land (India) and in this time (21st century).  They are about common problems, heartbreak, unrelinquished love, pride, ambition, and obsession. They are young and fresh; the characters are unpretentious, the storyline is simple and the conversations are colloquial. The Rajus, Nikhils, Yudhisthirs and Ashimas of the book could well be actual people. People you might know, meet or hear about in day-to-day life.

Another great aspect of Impulse is that, unlike most short story writers, Serai manages to keep his short stories short. Most short stories run for pages beating the very purpose of a short story. Serai has been able to contain himself in that aspect. His stories are crisp, no unnecessary details put in, no necessary details left out. Although sometimes it feels like he has left the story midway, most of the stories were finished well.

What didn’t

Simplicity is good. It opens up scope for attracting a whole lot of readers, but when things get too simple, people lose interest. This is what happens with Impulse. After one or two stories where you appreciate the author’s style of storytelling, the stories become predictable. Some stories feel familiar, like you have heard or read them before.

The author never changes his tone or style of storytelling. He continues in the same fashion throughout. So even though the characters and situations change, the underlying voice of each story remains the same. This made the book a bit monotonous in a way.  There were so many different people in the book, yet they all sounded like the same person.

Should you pick it up?

As a 21 year-old, I could relate to or at least understand where the author was coming from. If, say, my father were to read it, he might have found a bit immature. So, needless to say, it is for a certain age group.

If you are a Wilde or Hemmingway reader, cut Serai some slack in case you happen to read Impulse. These aren’t short stories that stay with you forever, that you can recall years after reading them. Impulse is at its best a good attempt at writing stories. It is a comfortable read on a Sunday afternoon with a cup of coffee. Pick it up without much expectation just for that.

Tip: My favourite stories in this one were “The eyes of Men” and “Page of life”

In love with love stories? You might like any or all of these books that our reviewers found interesting! Click on the links to check out their reviews – Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, Advantage Love by Madhuri Banerjee and The Indian Tycoon’s Marriage Deal by Adite Banerjie (this one’s touted as a desi Mills & Boon!).