Book Review- Figmented Reality by Zuko

Book Name: Figmented Reality 

Author: Zuko 

Publisher: Frog Books 

Price: Rs. 150 

Blurb: 

Addiction blurs our hold on reality; people say. But what if addiction becomes our reality? Siddharth had a fair few addictions in his wake. The challenge now was to differentiate between the ideal world and the real world. Will Siddharth be able to overcome his addictions and find true love. Or is it just another addiction? This book is not a biography of the author but is written in a way that author is the protagonist. 

Story in a nutshell: 

Siddharth is a young boy who is addicted to sex and masturbation. He has never had a serious girlfriend for he talks sex to them and they shoo him away. He realises that he needs help and enrolls himself at some addiction control programme. He meets Veena there and the feelings that he had suppressed for so long crop up again. Veena had once visited his home with her kids and Siddharth had a huge crush on her. He realises that Veena is divorced and starts to believe that he could be with her. Does he confess his feelings to her? How does Siddharth become an addict? Does he get rid of his addictions? Or does Veena turn into an addiction? 

Review: 

The cover of Figmented Reality goes very well with the title and the blurb. Black and white, to me, symbolize lies and truth, no and yes, fake and real. The story revolves around this premise and I believe the cover demonstrated it the best. 

Coming to the story, it revolves around Siddharth and his life. There are many people like Siddharth in this world addicted to something. Addiction can be fatal. The end of this story proves it. The story begins with Siddharth's meet with Veena when he's 16. The story is then fast forwarded and we, now, find Siddharth at 23. The chapters are narrated in a different pattern. A short writeup about addiction is given at the beginning of each chapter and then the story continues. I couldn't find the link between the two at few places. But I really liked those writeups. They are indeed great. Its just that their placement was inappropriate. The story has been written in first person narrative and the author has done justice with the narration. It is easy and understandable. The language is lucid and clear. However, there are a few places in the story where you get lost and wonder what is happening. The incidents have been structured well and their overall flow is good. The story has many incidents that will leave you surprised. For example: the sexual abuse incident and the end.

 

Psychology, obsession, sex, addiction are the words that will cross your mind when you finish reading this book. If you're seeking for something in love that turns into obsession, a habit that turns into addiction then you must go for this book. 

Merits: 

• The write-ups about addiction at the beginning of few chapters was food for thought. 
• The cover. 
• The end of the story was a surprising one. 

Demerits: 

• The story begins with Siddharth drooling over Veena's assets. I found it a little weird. The start of the story could have been one of the write-ups. Beginning the story with that incident was a turn off. 
• The story gets confusing at many places. 
• The end of the story could have been presented in a better way. 

I rate:

Cover: 4/5 

Characters: 2/5 

Story: 2.5/5 

I rate 'Figmented Reality' with 2.5/5 stars.

You can book your copies on Amazon.