About the book
Alleppey for bustling Chennai, he dreams of making movies and writing novels.
Instead, he meets Anandhi.
She’s fierce. He’s ambitious. She’s a receptionist at his film school. He’s the student who drives her crazy.
Neither expects to fall in love.
But as their hostility turns to passion, Ram and Anandhi face impossible choices. With social barriers, and their own fears standing in the way, they’ll have to decide if their love is worth fighting for.
Perfect for fans of:
The Hating Game
2 States
Pride & Prejudice
Chennai Express
Family Man
A sweeping enemies-to-lovers story about dreams, destiny, and the courage to love without limits.
About the Author
Akhil P. Dharmajan is a writer from Kerala, India. His book Ram c/o Anandhi won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2025.
The Thank You Blog Book Review
Ram, c/o Anandhi, is an intriguing tale of experiences, hardships, and love of an easygoing youngster named Ram. Every person he meets or befriends, be it Anandhi, Paati, Reshma, Vetri, or Malli, has a story locked in their eyelids.
Though the book is translated into English from Malayalam its originality is preserved and it also gets readers to relate to its characters which only a few successful works of translation can do.
The Translator Haritha CK has done her job perfectly bringing the book to a wider audience.
The top three characters that will leave you loaded with emotions
1. Ram: A youngster who moves to Chennai from Kerala to learn about filmmaking and gets to witness life from different perspectives through the different people he meets in Chennai. Becomes accustomed to Chennai and feels comfortable with his friends in college. He meets receptionist Anandhi who seems quite strict at the beginning eventually becomes Ram’s silent love.
Some questions to ponder upon
What happens to Ram as the story progresses? Did Anandhi fall for him?
2. Anandi: Her identity is revealed as a big suspense. She puts up as a girl struggling hard to make a good amount of money. She organises events and serves food to guests.
Even her close friends Reshma, Vetri, Ram and even Paati have no clue as to why she is always busy making money.
But once she speaks openly to her friends. She reveals that she is a Sri Lankan sent to India after a lot of suffering and pain due to the War.
She comes hurt and broken but with the help of the people around she gains the courage to make an independent living working as a receptionist. All her hardships are for a valid reason which means the world to her.
Some questions to ponder upon
Want to know what valid reason drives Anandhi? Why is Australia her next destination?
3. Malli: A transgender woman who meets Ram on the train becomes his friend and eventually she tells her whole life story that is full of rejections and intolerance from everyone including her family. Finally, with the help of Ram, she joins his college to pursue dance. With all the dreams hidden in her eyes, she leaves the world with a heavy heart and eyes tired of shedding tears.
Some questions to ponder upon
Why is Malli deprived of her dreams? What burdens her and pushes her to the end of life?
Final Thoughts
I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 for its descriptive narration and detailed way of storytelling.
If you are someone who loves to read character-driven fiction then this book could be your next read.
I do not want to give away the beauty of the narrative so I am leaving you inquisitive with all the questions then and there.
If you want to know more about what happens to these characters you need to get a copy of Ram C/O of Ananthi and read it right away.
Here is the link to buy the book from Amazon
The book review is part of Blogchatter’s book review program #BookChatter
