Rebel Town Reviews [OPEN]

Vertigo - @DelhiBelly

VERTIGO By DelhiBelly

Reviewed by AmyMarieZ

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Overview: VERTIGO is a romance story set in Dehli, India. The story focuses on main character Chitra, an editor of a weekly lifestyle magazine called Delhi Belly. As an independent and strong-willed single woman living on her own in India, Chitra has had to deal with her fair share of disproving judgement. However, her life is thrown for a loop when she by chance encounters Zahir Hosain, a man she interviewed for her magazine, at a party one night. The two begin developing feelings for each other, and as their mutual attraction turns to love, Chitra and Zahir test each other's values and morals as they navigate the challenges of their culturally unconventional relationship together.

Structure: The structure of the story is in many ways serial, rather than a singular plot line. Each chapter seems to focus on an independent sub-plot, which is solved within one or two chapters. The serial nature of the story makes it fun to read from chapter to chapter. However, the lack of a strong main plot leads to a lower level of suspense in the story as a whole. While the story seems to have an overarching theme, chapters and sub-plots largely stand on their own, rather than building towards one main plot.

Grammar: Overall, the grammar in the story is decent. There are a number of oddly worded sentences or phrases that do not make sense. There are a few places where words are missing or mistakenly used, as well as a few minor punctuation mistakes. However, as a whole, the grammar mistakes are minor and infrequent and do not detract from the reading experience.

Pace: The pace of individual scenes in the story is good as a whole. Scenes read at real time. There is good attention to detail with descriptions as well as dialog, making the characters and settings compelling and believable. However, at times the dialog seems to drag and feel almost too realistic. A reader may feel like they are actually on the scene with the characters, experiencing every bit of their lives. While this level of realism holds a certain amount of charm, it also drags the plot and action of the story at points, making it feel slow or slightly tedious. Some of the dialog is extremely engaging and holds the reader at the edge of his or her seat (for example the tense interactions between Chitra and Zahir). However, some of the dialog seems to drag on and a reader might find themselves getting lost, or their mind might begin to wander as characters discuss seemingly menial things.

The pace of the story as a whole is difficult to gage. The main plot of the story is vague. Other than the main themes and the romance between Chitra and Zahir, there does not seem to be a strong ad compelling central plot. Each chapter holds interest through sub-plots and events, but a main plot progression is not strongly present.

Character Development: The character development is excellent in this story. The main character, Chitra, is a very strong female lead who is compelling, charming, and relatable. The character is defined right from the beginning, but her characterization does not feel forced in any way. The character's personality is shown through her dialog and internal thoughts, rather than told through narration. The physical descriptions of characters are gradually revealed to the reader naturally as the action progresses.

If anything, the story is perhaps a more character-driven story rather than a plot-driven story. Very detailed attention is given to each character, even the most minor of characters. Each character has his or her own life, adding great depth and realism. The reader is easily able to picture characters' physical appearance, as well as understand their personalities.

Vocabulary/Description: The vocabulary used in the story is fairly simple. The sentence structure used is sometimes a bit bland and repetitive, particularly in the first few chapters. However, as the story progresses, more varied vocabulary and sentence structure is incorporated, increasing the interest level in the writing itself.

Particularly in the beginning of the story, some of the scene setting seems forced. Scenes follow a format where the setting is described, and then the action takes place. Incorporating the descriptions in with the action might make them seem less forced and easier to remember. Additionally, this could help to break up some of the longer bits of dialog that a reader might get lost during.

Finally, throughout the story, there is a heavy use of passive voice. In many instances, the use of the passive voice in the descriptions feels odd and out of place, as though things are happening on their own when clearly a character would need to be performing the actions, which has the tendency to throw the reader out of the action/scene.

Plot: The plot of the story is vague. The main plot seems to be the romance between Chitra and Zahir. However, within the first four or so chapters, the two characters already seem to be done chasing each other and be in a steady relationship. So, at this point, the story seems to focus on the speed bumps and hurdles they go through together. Chapters jump from one sub-plot to another. While the overarching theme holds the story together well, the lack of a single focused "problem" leads to a low level of suspense from chapter to chapter.

Summary: VERTIGO is a romance story filled with strong characters. The two main characters, Zahir and Chitra, make a compelling couple that a reader can't help but route for as they overcome everything life can throw at them. Although they argue and bicker, defending their own morals and values, together they agree to disagree and accept that both of their strong points of view is something that really binds them together well. Although the main plot of the story is vague, the events in each chapter are full of excitement, pulling the reader in to the characters' lives in an intimate and endearing way.