Sonia Gandhi is one of the most fascinating women in the world in modern times. Her story, of a little girl from insignificant Italian village to one of the most powerful women in the world’s largest democracy is a script writer’s dream. And to think that this was all purely by chance – something that only destiny had decided is truly intriguing. I was attracted to this biography of Sonia Gandhi simply because it was written by a foreigner – a person with no vested interest and with no axe to grind – so I thought it would  be a true revelation of the Sonia behind her enigmatic public persona, free from personal enmity and bitchiness and unfettered by political loyalty. Alas, Xavier Moro’s book is a complete disappointment.

Published by Roli books in 2010, the book which claims to be a “dramatized version” of Sonia Gandhi’s life is far from dramatic. It is not only boring, tedious and humdrum, but downright difficult to get through.

The first part of the book which deals with her early life is sketchy to say the least. Granted it is a very ordinary life of a very ordinary family, but  detailed or slightly more elaborate account of her childhood and ordinary life would have made the transformation of Sonia Maino to Sonia Gandi even more dramatic. Sadly, the romance between the most eligible bachelor in India and the girl from nowhere is equally a damp squib. What was it that drew the two young foreign students together? Sonia’s early years as an Indian bahu hardly describe the challenge she must have faced not only as a foreigner but also as a complete outsider in India’s leading political family.

Sonia’s life is truly dramatic with life forcing her to adapt to situations beyond her wildest dreams. How many of us have a chance to witness history being made? In any one’s life, such a transformation requires courage, determination and grit. Sadly, Moro’s book doesn’t capture any of these emotions. It doesn’t engage the reader at all with its dull, lack lustre narration. The book offers no insight into Sonia’s personality, her life or even her thoughts and she continues to remain the enigma that she is.

Verdict : Totally avoidable.