Book Review: The Last Bloom by Poulomi Sengupta

The Last Bloom

Author: Poulomi Sengupta
Publisher: Frog Books (Leadstart publishing)
Rating: 3.5/5

The attitude to cross any limit to survive in the ever-changing world is something everyone does not possess. It takes a lot of courage and the willpower to accept the change. ‘The Last Bloom’ is a debut novella written by Poulomi Sengupta. The story throws light on the drawbacks of the educations- politics playing a major role in it. The story is set up in a college in Bengal and that adds to the flavour. The book portrays subtle elements of Bengali culture and I liked that a lot.

Priya, the protagonist, is a young, enthusiastic girl who joins the college with high hopes and a desire to graduate with flying colours. But the moment she gets acquainted with the prevailing environment in the college, she is struck dumb. The whole idea of burning the midnight oil and succeeding in life seems like a nine-day wonder to her. Her college reeks of politics and the fancy-free and footloose students bully her way too much. In the process of adjusting to the environment and constantly trying to fit in, she explores the depths of politics and learns how it affects one’s life.

This story depicts the sad truth about the struggle of a girl in this deceitful and fake world. She finds solace in her neighbour, Vivek, who is all ears to her explanations and her ideas. His character comes out alive through the descriptions and that is commendable. However, the frequent philosophical discussions might not be everyone’s cup of tea. The length of the book could have been reduced easily by cutting short some of the descriptions. Also, the cover could have been better. I liked the intriguing title, though. There are editing mistakes and some punctuation errors too.

“There are two types of pain in this world- pain that hurts you and pain that changes you.” This book perfectly describes the latter. The pain of not being able to fit in and be accepted is aptly shown through the story. The students toil day and night, not to study but to change themselves so that they are considered a part of the gang. And this is saddening. It takes patience and the audacity to stand for what you feel is right. The character of Priya has been crafted beautifully and she comes to life after reading first few chapters only.

The narration is simple with the good vocabulary. The flow of the story is a continuum but the climax is dull.

Overall, the authoress has done a great job.
Best wishes!

Buying Link: Amazon