Relationships in digital era

“I came across a newspaper article on Invisible Boyfriend app (which provides messages from a non-existent partner) a few years ago, and it was really intriguing. This made me look at the millennial generation more seriously and made me think how I would behave in a modern day relationship,” states author Parul A. Mittal, whose debut novel, Heartbreaks & Dreams! The Girls @ IIT, was a bestseller.

Now, almost eight years since turning an author, the 42-year-old is set to capture the attention of youngsters with her third novel, Let’s Have Coffee, which is a witty take on love and relationships in the digital era. The plot revolves around Meha, an assistant wedding planner, and Samir, a wedding photographer who’s a conceited flirt. 

In a chat with us, Parul speaks about the novel, how she has evolved post her first two projects and more.

“Three years ago, I was toying with the idea of writing my third novel and really wanted to understand the lives of 20-something people of this generation. Having been in love with a person who I’m married to for so long, I wanted to know if what we considered as ‘love’ is really outdated now,” says Parul.

Let’s have coffee Parul A. Mittal, Rupa Publications pp.240, Rs 295.

Speaking about the research she did for the novel, the Delhiite explains, “I’m writing about a generation which is very different from mine. Hence, to get more insight about them, I had to interact with a lot of youngsters and I was very fortunate that most of them openly discussed their life stories.”

Parul, who’s also a trekking enthusiast, feels that she has evolved a lot as a writer over the course of the past few years. “Let’s Have Coffee is not much of a personal story as my previous two books. But I’ve experimented a lot in my latest work. And sometimes, when I had a writer’s block, I resorted to my two teenage daughters who gave me different perspectives about the youth of the current time!”  

As the conversation veers towards the trend of movie adaptation of  books, Parul says that she’s totally fine with it. She reasons, “When filmmakers adapt the story in their films, it leads to fresh interpretations, which even the author wouldn’t have thought of. I would be more than welcome if someone wants to adapt my works.”

On a concluding note, Parul shares about the topics which she would like to write about in her future projects. “A lot of women who’re in their 40s kind of go through a crisis and they’ve this neverending quest to find the meaning of life post a certain age. I wouldn’t call it a mid-life crisis, but something that only they understand. It’s a fascinating topic to delve into. I would like to write a book on that in the near future,” she says.