Book Review #4: Horseshoe Garage

Name:           Horseshoe Garage
Author:         Hitesha
No. of Pages: 389
Genre:           Fiction
Publisher:      Jufic Books (An imprint of Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd.)
Price:            Rs. 245/-
Published in:  2013

The blurb of the book says: Though he has gotten used to his salary and his job at Grant Motors, Sarvesh still finds himself waking up in the middle of the night, his heart pounding with the excitement of a Neo-Racing dream. The technologically advanced cars and the smell of the burnt rubber of the tyres haunt him all the time.

When Neo-racing creates space for a team from India, Sarvesh is determined to be a part of it. Tagging along as a non-descript member of another giant team is not going to suffice. Along with his best friend Rags, he is determined to lead his own team on to Neo-racing race circuits.

Naaz is an orphan who has been raised in a garage and has never studied beyond the fourth grade. She has taught herself all that she knows about cars by working alongside sweaty mechanics. This knowledge allows her to deduce in three seconds that the car design created by Sarvesh and Rags will not qualify for Neo-Racing.

Friendship is tested, loyalties are questioned and spirits are broken in this challenging race to achieve an impossible dream.

About the author: Hitesha: If you meet her, she will greet you with a smile and make you feel like you have known her all your life. Yet, she prefers the solitude of the mountains and escapes to them often with her husband and two ‘kids’. Surrounded by whispering winds and the pitter patter of the paws of her St. Bernard and Cocker Spaniel she weaves stories with her words. A criminologist by qualification, an entrepreneur by profession and a writer at heart, her twitter profile (@DeSueno) describes her the best – “I giggle, I smile, I dream a while. I love, I write, I tell tales all the while.”

WHAT I FEEL ABOUT THE BOOK:
To me, this book was a pleasant surprise. It was one of the 4 books that the publisher had sent me for review and I chose to read it at last. Frankly, I did not expect it to be really good. But it completely took me by surprise. From the first page to the last word, nowhere I was bored. It was a fresh plot as were the characters. The story had emotions, drama, romance, controversies, misunderstandings and even a little action...everything that a bollywood masala flick needs. It was as if I was reading a movie. 

I loved the main characters--Sav the dreamer, his best friend Rags the hunk, Kam the sexy fiancee of Rags and Naaz the 'car' prodigy who can build a car single-handedly. The plot is they all come together to form a team and create a racing car (well, they do it thrice) and win Neo-Racing. Sav and Rags are best buds from college and work in separate motor companies. One day they learn that their dream Neo-Racing is coming to India and they decide to quit their jobs and pursue their true call. Then they had a team to assemble. Kam is Rags live-in girlfriend. When Naaz, a star mechanic, enters the plot, Sav falls in love with her at first sight. Then follows love, jealousy, deception, misunderstanding, hope and passion.

In a nutshell, I loved it.  I liked the cover too--simple and minimal. I would give the "Horseshoe Garage" 5 on a scale of 5.

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