Chetan Bhagat’s latest book 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story has a straightforward plot: 33-year-old Saket Khurana, a man who is an engineer-turned-stand-up comedian, falls for a 21-year-old woman named Payal Jain, who works at a private equity firm. They run into each other at a comedy club in Mumbai where he is performing, and they hit it off instantly.
The title of the book refers to the age gap, which is the main source of attraction and conflict. She has never been allowed to have a boyfriend. Her parents have raised her to believe that sex must happen only between a husband and a wife. He is divorced, and trying to avoid any new emotional entanglements. However, all his restraint goes out the window when he meets her.
The book makes one think about all the baggage that couples are forced to deal with when there is a significant age difference. Even if the law recognizes their right to be together, friends, colleagues and family members are highly uncomfortable with the match and try to dissuade them from pursuing their partnership. They are made to believe that it is doomed to fail. As a result, they end up doubting their emotions and their reasons for being together.
The first-person narrative helps the reader empathize with the emotional upheaval in Saket’s life as he tries to listen to his heart both in his personal and professional life. It is not easy because the divorce settlement with Raashi, his ex-wife, is ugly, long drawn out and expensive. The author attempts to step into Payal’s shoes as well but the reader does not hear her side of the story until after two-thirds of the novel is over. This is frustrating because the reader then ends up blaming her, and thinking of her as irresponsible and insensitive in situations where she is rather helpless.
{{/usCountry}}The first-person narrative helps the reader empathize with the emotional upheaval in Saket’s life as he tries to listen to his heart both in his personal and professional life. It is not easy because the divorce settlement with Raashi, his ex-wife, is ugly, long drawn out and expensive. The author attempts to step into Payal’s shoes as well but the reader does not hear her side of the story until after two-thirds of the novel is over. This is frustrating because the reader then ends up blaming her, and thinking of her as irresponsible and insensitive in situations where she is rather helpless.
{{/usCountry}}Perhaps the author wants us to feel differently about Payal as the narrative moves forward and she reveals why she felt compelled to make certain choices in the past. Unfortunately, the same opportunity is never made available to Raashi, who is reduced to a greedy character squeezing exorbitant amounts of money out of Saket, thereby compelling him to downgrade his lifestyle. Though Raashi is spoken of only in the third person, she has tremendous power over the trajectory of Saket’s life. Readers are left wondering why they never meet her.
There are other villains in the book, throwing obstacles onto the path of a love story waiting to find its happy ending. Payal’s parents disapprove of Saket. He is closer to her father’s age. Besides, he does not approach them through the traditional arranged marriage route to ask for their daughter’s hand in marriage. In a scene with tremendous cinematic potential – no surprising considering some of the author’s novels have been adapted into films -- they learn about his presence in her life in the most embarrassing manner imaginable.
Payal’s friend Akanksha, “a proud housewife” and social media influencer, and Parimal — the man chosen for Payal by her parents — are significant supporting characters but are rendered as unidimensional figures who rarely speak for themselves.
There is a religious angle to the conflict but it remains under-explored because Bhagat relies on stereotypes to elicit laughs instead of doing the hard work of nuanced worldbuilding. One is told that Saket is Punjabi, and Payal is from a Jain family. These identity markers are not explored with any kind of depth. Going by this book, Punjabis deal with crises by stuffing themselves with food, and Jains engage in emotional blackmail by undertaking fasts.
Saket eats meat but Payal does not. They do not try to change each other, which is a mature way of respecting differences in a relationship. There is more to people than their food preferences. Payal is happy to accompany Saket to a gurdwara. Saket respects Payal’s choice of avoiding onion and garlic in her meals. Thankfully, there is no sermonizing in the book about how to live in a secular democratic society. Bhagat does not use his characters as political spokespersons.
It is worth noting, however, that ‘Punjabi’ is a regional and linguistic identity whereas ‘Jain’ is a religious identity. These identities are not mutually exclusive, as the novel suggests. A large number of Jains in Delhi are Punjabi Jains, often called Bhabras, who migrated from west Punjab at the time of Partition. Most Jains living in Mumbai, however, are Gujarati or Rajasthani.
Payal’s parents live in Ghatkopar, a Gujarati-dominated Mumbai suburb, which is portrayed in a disparaging light and contrasted with Bandra, the hub of style and sophistication where Saket lives. In reality, there are many Ghatkopars inside Ghatkopar, and many Bandras inside Bandra.
Moreover, Payal’s parents are caricatures rather than characters. One wishes that the author had spent more time on crafting them delicately, instead of banking on sweeping generalizations, especially because Jains are a religious minority, comprising only 0.5 per cent of India’s population. It is quite rare to come across a Jain character in Indian novels written in English.
There is one genuinely funny scene involving Payal’s parents. When Saket wonders if they might poison his tea because they dislike him, Payal says, “No, they won’t do that…We’re Jains. We don’t believe in killing life. We don’t even kill insects or pests.” Saket feels reassured.
His parents are mentioned briefly but they do not have much of a role to play in the novel.
On a positive note, Saket’s lifelong friendship with Mudit is well-written. They understand each other’s emotional, sexual and financial needs. Theirs is a bromance between two heterosexual men, who express their affection for each other openly. However, misogynistic and homophobic remarks casually flow into their conversation. At one point, Mudit jokingly tells Saket, “Are you turning gay? Bro, I like gay people, and I love you and all, but you and I can’t be that.”
One wonders if their relationship is committed and secure only because it is free of the sexual tension that exists in the protagonist’s relationship with women. Saket comes across as someone who loses his bearings when he is attracted to a woman, which is why he is so scared of being hurt. Regardless of all that he has to endure, the book offers a pleasant and totally believable ending that will offer hope to romantics who are still looking for their special someone.
Payal’s character arc becomes more exciting as the novel progresses and she comes into her own as a corporate leader, a daughter, and a woman. She regrets certain choices because she did not know any better when she made them but she refuses to lead her life as a victim. This happens after the action in the novel shifts from Mumbai to Dubai. Saket too matures in his own way; he is a bit reluctant to trust anyone after having his heart broken but is still dying to be loved. The book has a lot of sadness in it but it never gets overwhelming because the treatment is light.
The writing is fast-paced and chatty but some sentences are cringeworthy: “The train screeched to its fifteen-second halt at Lower Parel. A sea of humanity rushed out of the train doors like toothpaste extruding out of a tube, extracting me along with it.” There is a lot of sex in the novel, including elaborate and varied role play, but it is so hasty and uninspiring that it seems geared towards release rather than delight. That said, Bhagat does push one to reflect on whether an older man who is romantically interested in a younger woman is necessarily a creep, and if the younger woman in this case necessarily has daddy issues.
This book is entertaining and thoughtful in parts but certainly not a must-read.
Chintan Girish Modi writes about books, films, art and music. He can be reached @chintanwriting on Instagram and X.