Title: The Settled Homeless
Author: Rover V
Publisher: Sreekumar Banerjee
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
First Publication: 2022
Language: English
Book Summary: The Settled Homeless by Rover V
Lucidly written by a true global citizen, the novel depicts the event-filled journey of a well-acclaimed yet nomadic scholar around the globe till he discovers his happiness. Dr Theodor Rae, a member of the upper echelon of global academics, shares the story of his world.
The saga is full of remarkable personalities, insightful observations, and intriguing viewpoints. It lifts the veil of myths, enveloping the extraordinary personae akin to Ted, and reveals the simple humans hidden underneath. Distancing these awe-inspiring characters with respect and reverence is proven a mistake, it being so easy for anybody to relate to their intrinsically simple weal and woe. His solitary journey, through a series of premier institutions across lands and seas, often showered Ted with accolades and encomiums.
Homeless and lonely since early childhood, the prodigious scholar was held by most as singularly successful on many counts. Nothing brought him a lasting sense of contentment. The eventful career kept Ted unaware of his insatiate cravings that, despite all his strengths and achievements, left his life without clear direction or purpose. He did not know why he was driven more by eventualities than his own unacknowledged desires.
Ted did not fully understand how much his heart yearned for the affection, care, and warm company around him, things he had always missed, till Nelly came into his life. He realised it, seeing her love make a home for them to settle in together.
Book Review: The Settled Homeless by Rover V
The Settled Homeless is an intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking book written by Rover V that revolves around the life of an immigrant in the United Kingdom who, up until a certain point in his life, was blessed with a great deal of success and achievement. The Settled Homeless follows a celebrated but itinerant academic as he travels the world in search of fulfillment. Dr. Theodor Rae, a well-known personality in the top echelons of academia across the globe, tells the tale of his life and the world. As early as he could remember, Ted’s personal life had been a mess. He received his early education at a renowned residential school and then attended a prominent engineering college in India. Both contributed to his receiving recognition commensurate with his extraordinary intelligence, but neither caused him to permanently settle himself in the country.
As fate would have it, Ted became a true global citizen during his time spent pursuing his doctorate and postdoctoral studies in the United States. Ted’s research was halted by the Global Recession, so he took a job with a global software company in the United States and Germany before landing his desired position at a prominent English institution. While his job required him to travel to many other countries, he eventually settled in the UK. He found that the desirable job roles did not provide him with any feeling of fulfillment that would endure.
A series of unplanned occurrences drew him close to Nelly, a female student from his university who, like him, has an extraordinarily high intellect and a record of achievements. Ted was Nelly’s mentor and left an indelible impression since he was a brilliant educator with a laudable sense of humor. Ted and Nelly became close when she enrolled at his university, and their friendship deepened after the COVID epidemic forced them to take refuge at his home. He was unknowingly falling in love, but he did not completely recognize his feelings. On the other hand, he considered spending so much time with someone so kind and beautiful as the pinnacle of happiness. The realization didn’t dawn on Ted until certain circumstances caused a separation between them, but once it did, it was unmistakable. No career aspirations would alleviate the pain of losing Nelly.
Rover V’s debut novel, The Settled Homeless, is a very entertaining read with somewhat quirkier and more likeable characters. It has its moments of being charming, despite everything negative that Theodor Rae is going through. This was a really uplifting book, and after finishing it, I found myself reevaluating a few aspects of my own life and thinking about them in a new light. It is a story that will pull at your emotions and cause you to have introspective conversations with yourself.
The Settled Homeless is really an amazing book to read since it is inhabited by a plethora of excellent characters, and everyone of them is well-developed and fascinating in their own unique ways. In many ways, when described, they sound like ordinary book characters, but they are each fresh and fully realized, fully human. The wonderful Ted captured my attention with his idealized influence and became one of my favorite characters right away. I liked Dr. Theodor Rae, trying to recreate his life following his separation from Nelly, never really understanding what happened. I also loved Nelly, young and impulsive and self-absorbed but delightful. These characters are deeply flawed and ultimately loving, and I loved being a part of them for the few days it took to read this lovely book.
Rover V’s writing is forthright and bares everything. In my opinion, this goes much beyond a compelling story. A tale that encompasses a multitude of themes, including but not limited to resilience, determination, self-reliance, and undying love. This is a book about finding hope and courage even when you believe you have none; about how you need to be the one to push yourself and drive yourself through difficult times. It’s also a tale about how important it is to have family, supporters, and loved ones around. I was invested in the story from the very beginning, and I ended up caring deeply about several of the characters. Even though I had a pretty good idea of where things were headed, getting there was still a lot of fun.
