..a Slice of LIFE..
Chetan Bhagat’s latest offering has taken the market by storm. True to expectations, it’s got youngsters engrossed in “2 STATES: THE STORY OF MY MARRIAGE” . How much of it is real and how much is just some marketing hoopla, we’ll never know. What we do know, though, is that the publisher has had the cheek to blow up facts in the author’s intro. “ [his books]...have inspired major Bollywood films.” ANY sensible person would SO want to whack the publisher for a glaring error like THAT!!! This, of course, has now become the trend to push things, and make them look bigger than what they are, for purely marketing reasons.
About the book…nothing unique. Bhagat has repeatedly proven that flair is not his forte. The current book is an easy read, low on style, and light on the mind. The blogger breezed through it in 3 hours flat! This book is essentially a diary recording stereotypes held by Indians, be it cultural, regional, educational, ritualistic, food-related, etc. He’s effortlessly pointed to the notional status of ‘donation college’, ‘fair skin complex’, ‘discipline in defence’, ‘WPM’*, et al. The simple things in life which we so conveniently take for granted have been seamlessly sewn into the story-telling. From acknowledging the effort our moms put into EVERY meal, excitement about weddings, to children shrieking gleefully when they spot ‘mickey mouse’, he’s included it all. There are also the soppy elements of love for parents [separately!] to nationalistic fervour!
Like all his other books, this one also has a veiled positive feel to it. As always, the guy is trying to get the girl. And everything revolves around it, in an amoeba-like shape! Also, again, the male protagonist’s name is a derivative from that of Lord Krishna.
To KISS…this book is a good one-time read. It’s slightly funny, definitely not humourous, but you can let that pass.
*WPM: read the book to know its full form!
this blogger had reviwed his 2nd book 4 yrs ago http://vichaarkhaana.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_archive.html
alas..nothing much has changed since then...with the writer, that is!
