I have found many critics pointing to the title of this book and calling it 'trite'. Perhaps it's a tad long, perhaps it's befitting but let me tell you that this 'title' must now dissuade you from giving it a try. Pravin R. Rathod is an MBA graduate and this book is the fruit of his maiden effort at writing something. Chetan Bhagat is an IIM-taught management professional too and there is a simplicity to his books with subtle sense of humor and enviable dramatic flair. And if I have ever come closest to finding a book as simple and funny as his while keeping its dramatic content poised, it must be this debut title from Mr. Rathod. I can say it with full confidence that it contains the only believable love story that an Indian with average background could hope for and even it's sad ending has got an honest moment. The verbs 'confuse' and 'interest' appear twice in their adverb, gerund and participle guises in this book title and they pretty much personify everything that contained within it. At its core, it has got a story of an enviable friendship between four of its central characters but it's mainly driven by only one of them and with him, attached are the life-strings of others. They all are confused but which Indian boys (and boys mostly) aren't confused in their formative years regarding their careers, friendships, relations or even love-lives (yeah, even that's happening very quickly in this NEW India)? All Indian love stories that I have got to read so far has one or two very confused characters who make our readership quite interesting with their foolish acts but this is the first one that has dared to give them the life and title of their own. They really are 'Confusingly Interesting OR Interestingly Confused'. I must say, smart writing.
Coming to the technicalities part, its narrative is tinged with sharp humor and everything seems real be it characters, their friendship, their education lives, their confusions, their vacations, their female friends or their girlfriends. But it's sadly happens to be one of those books that don't advertise themselves too well. Probably the first time I have come to know the importance of 'blurb' in selling a book and the blurb of this book comes pathetically short of doing that to it. It doesn't really give a clue of things to come and I would not doubt either the critics or the readers who might pass it as yet another passable love-story-contained-in-a-drama. It isn't a 'light' affair like many Indian romantic offerings of late but until and unless someone reads some 20 pages of it, he/she wouldn't know and here only its 'blurb' must have played a strong role. This one case has compelled me now to revise my scoring criteria. This book is a surprisingly serious affair and I would hope that this blog might help it in being considered 'likewise'. Let's come down to scoring part:
a) Achievement - 2/2
b) Language skills - 2/2 Grammatical mistakes are few and far between but they exist. Question marks nowadays aren't finding many takers, why, God only knows or these young Indian authors/their editors. Use of punctuation marks is a big worry too with current edition.
c) Plot and Character Development - 2/3; apart from Pratik's character, none were accorded the full attention though the scope was aplenty.
d) Editing and Proofreading - 1.5/2; Editing is sharp and praiseworthy but proofreading left me wanting for more. Grammatical mistakes are few and far between but they exist. Question marks nowadays aren't finding many takers, why, God only knows or these young Indian authors/their editors. Use of punctuation marks is a big worry too with current edition.
f) Book Cover, Page Quality and Blurb - 0.5/1; said it enough already.
Total: 8/10; 4/5 on a five-pointer scale.
Verdict: It's probably a more truthful affair in a dramatic disguise that readers might have got a chance to attest in recent time. I shall unhesitatingly ask you to give it a try.
Coming to the technicalities part, its narrative is tinged with sharp humor and everything seems real be it characters, their friendship, their education lives, their confusions, their vacations, their female friends or their girlfriends. But it's sadly happens to be one of those books that don't advertise themselves too well. Probably the first time I have come to know the importance of 'blurb' in selling a book and the blurb of this book comes pathetically short of doing that to it. It doesn't really give a clue of things to come and I would not doubt either the critics or the readers who might pass it as yet another passable love-story-contained-in-a-drama. It isn't a 'light' affair like many Indian romantic offerings of late but until and unless someone reads some 20 pages of it, he/she wouldn't know and here only its 'blurb' must have played a strong role. This one case has compelled me now to revise my scoring criteria. This book is a surprisingly serious affair and I would hope that this blog might help it in being considered 'likewise'. Let's come down to scoring part:
a) Achievement - 2/2
b) Language skills - 2/2 Grammatical mistakes are few and far between but they exist. Question marks nowadays aren't finding many takers, why, God only knows or these young Indian authors/their editors. Use of punctuation marks is a big worry too with current edition.
c) Plot and Character Development - 2/3; apart from Pratik's character, none were accorded the full attention though the scope was aplenty.
d) Editing and Proofreading - 1.5/2; Editing is sharp and praiseworthy but proofreading left me wanting for more. Grammatical mistakes are few and far between but they exist. Question marks nowadays aren't finding many takers, why, God only knows or these young Indian authors/their editors. Use of punctuation marks is a big worry too with current edition.
f) Book Cover, Page Quality and Blurb - 0.5/1; said it enough already.
Total: 8/10; 4/5 on a five-pointer scale.
Verdict: It's probably a more truthful affair in a dramatic disguise that readers might have got a chance to attest in recent time. I shall unhesitatingly ask you to give it a try.
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