You want a girlfriend but you have a girl as your friend — a half girlfriend maybe? When it comes to Chetan Bhagat’s novels, it’s always about reflecting on society in a fun, non-serious way. Half Girlfriend is a pretty simple and straightforward love story. The story is about Madhav and Riya.
Two individuals with completely different statuses in society. Madhav is a simple boy from Bihar while Riya is a rich girl based in Dehli. They met at St.Stephen’s college and instantly became close friends.
Madhav has a soft spot for Riya but Riya, friend zone him. Madhav wanted Riya to be his girlfriend. He questions her about the nature of their relationship. Feeling uncomfortable Riya says that she is not his girlfriend, but they can maybe reach a compromise since they have reached halfway, and she offers to be his “Half Girlfriend.”
In one scene, Madhav hopes for a physical relationship with Riya but she got upset and left. A few days later, Riya got married to her childhood best friend, Rohan, and settled down in London. Delhi wasn’t the ideal place for Madhav ever since Riya left. Hence, he went back to his hometown where he helped his mother run the local school, Dumraon Royal School.
Over the course of the story, the author takes the readers through the ups and downs of their on and off relationship experience. At one point, Madhav came across Riya who was now a divorcee. Riya then helps him prepare a speech for some fundraising events. However, after the event, Riya wrote a letter saying she has lung cancer. She also confesses her love for Madhav but mentioned she had only three months to live. With that, she left. Madhav tried so hard searching for Riya but it was in vain because she had cut ties with India and vanished.
Spoiler alert!
Three years late, through Riya’s journal he discovered she was still alive and she lied about having cancer. The part that excites me is when Madhav travels to New York after knowing Riya isn’t actually dead. Actually, Madhav remembered that Riya wanted to become a singer at a bar in New York. After three months, he finally found her performing at a jazz event and they reunite.
The book ended with the author visiting the school in Dumraon three and a half years later, seeing Madhav and Riya running the school successfully.
This novel is heartwarming and there’s plenty of twists compared to a regular love story. And I totally agree with the author who said Half Girlfriend is a uniquely Indian phenomenon, where boys and girls aren’t clear about their relationship status. I felt this was true because, in this novel, Riya is a character that is ready to expand herself while Madhav, just wants to cling to Riya. Also, in real life, some guys tend to think they have a deeper connection than just being friends with a girl but that doesn’t mean the girl is his girlfriend. Hence the term ‘half girlfriend’ to me, is a clever one.
Besides, in the book, you can actually tell that they belong together but they just kept drifting apart. During the climax, I actually thought they had split for good and Riya would be a mere memory to Madhav. However, towards the end, it kept me glued to my seat. Like finally, they actually reunited and this time, Riya decided to stay.
Overall, it is a good novel. The words use were simple, keeping it easy for readers. I did enjoy this novel pretty much! Not only that, there’s a movie based on this very novel titled ‘Half Girlfriend’, acted by Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.
Sources: Samsherkan