Author Chetan Bhagat's new novel, a rural-urban love story about a boy from Bihar falling for an English-educated Delhi girl, is set for release this October.
Bhagat, who is considered a bestseller, today took to Twitter and Facebook to announce details of the upcoming book and accompanied it with a short video teaser.
"Hi all! Happy to announce my next book titled 'Half Girlfriend'," he wrote. A major newspaper here also carried the announcement as a front page advertisement.
The novel, says Bhagat, revolves around a love story between Madhav, "a boy from Bihar with big dreams who falls in love with the beautiful Riya, a rich lass from Delhi."
The video teaser of the book says, "Madhav didn't speak English well. Riya did. Madhav wanted a relationship. Riya didn't. Riya just wanted friendship. Madhav didn't. Riya suggested a compromise. She agreed to be his half-girlfriend."
"'Half Girlfriend' is a simple love story. It is about a boy who doesn't speak English well and brings out the issues related to English in the country today. It is a rural-urban love story that not only touches the heart, but also inspires the reader," Bhagat said in a statement.
Previous books by Bhagat include "Five Point Someone", "One Night @ the Call Center", "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" and "2 States". The author took three years to come out with his new book after his last one "Revolution 2020."
"English is the new caste system. Half Girlfriend explores this aspect of our society today," Bhagat said.
An investment banker-turned-novelist, the 40-year-old's books have been adapted for the big screen.
Bhagat's "Five Point Someone" was adapted into blockbuster "3 Idiots" starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead. He also scripted the screenplay for the recent Salman Khan starrer film "Kick".
Soon after announcing the release of "Half Girlfriend" Bhagat also tweeted that his website, where he had posted the first chapter had crashed due to traffic.
"My site has crashed. Will be up soon. Meanwhile you can watch the "Half Girlfriend" teaser directly on youtube," wrote the author.
The author said, "One of my goals is to make India read. For this, I wanted a partner that could make my story reach pan-India, right from the big metros to the interiors...?"
The book, is available for pre-orders on website Flipkart.
"We are delighted to associate with Chetan Bhagat for online exclusivity, and are looking forward to make this book available to millions of our customers...," Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Senior VP-Retail, Flipkart said.
