Writing a book about coming of age is not an easy task. In fact, it is one of the most difficult tasks in the world, along with writing comedy. And when an up-and-coming author tries out this genre so early in his career, it’s time we sat up and took notice. Here is our review of Eighteen: The End of Innocence, written by Sudham.

Eighteen: The End of Innocence is set in 1990s South India and tells the story of a group of teenage boys and girls whose lives are as simple and as complicated as their own could be in 1990s India. ninety.

So, get ready for a lot of lump-in-the-throat moments that are a treat for anyone who had a typical childhood, adolescence, and coming of age in the shiny new India that was the period between 1970 and 2000.

So there is Holi, there are crushes, there are extraordinary experiences with the other gender, the initiation of people in the vices of smoking, drinking and all that. And all this immortalizes a warm and innocent time in which many of us grew up and few have forgotten.

This is the book the younger generation should read if they’re wondering if the ‘you had a good childhood if you remember these’ memes really make any sense. Those memes make sense and yes, the decades between the 70’s and the late 90’s were amazing.

While the book covers the mundane and the exciting in 200 odd pages, it does a successful job of portraying the life and times of children growing up in that era, something many may not know today.

The characters are quite believable and the instances too. Today’s teens should definitely read this book to get a sense of what life was like for teens just a decade ago. After all, wouldn’t it be surprising for them to learn that concepts like a “blank call” were the norm of the day back then? in the era of missed calls, Sudham decides to go back to blank calls.

What draws you to the book are the characters that are quite on the side and I’m sure many will connect or recognize those characters from their own mildly interesting past. What keeps you going is the rhythmic and colorful writing style that deserves a place up there.

You will love this book if you are a retro fan. Trust me this time.