I first heard of this book when the Training team was trying to organize a book sale within our company. One of our staff called up to recommend that we include this title among the books on sale. Till then, I had never heard about Chetan Bhagat or the particular book in question, and that could perhaps be a statement on how up-to-date I am with contemporary Indian literature.
If you also happen to be among those for whom the name Chetan Bhagat does not ring a bell – he is an IIT-IIMA alumnus. He currently works with an investment bank in Hong Kong, but his claim to fame is the book that he has authored while he was not working. And this is ‘Five Point Someone’. As the sub-title to his book suggests, the book is about the protagonist’s mis-adventures at IIT.
The nice things about the book…it is contemporary, makes for light reading, and Chetan know how to tell a joke. I don’t know whether all IIMA types have a similar style or narrate similar jokes. His style reminds me of a friend I had many years ago, and he too was from IIMA.
The book brings the IIT campus life alive in a very real way, and it’s peppered with IIT vocabulary. This starts with the title of the book. Life in IIT is all about GPAs. And where the perfect GPA is 10, five point something would be a little below average.
And why do all these IIMA-IIT types refer to their campus as insti???
Needless to say to say if you studied in IIT/IIM, you would relate to the book more than most. But even if you did not, you would still identify.
One of my favourite parts is when the protagonist is asked about whether he liked his four years at IIT. He thinks about it and says, “I don’t know. There are things I’d rather forget. But I met my best friends here, and hopefully this place will get me a job.”
Isn’t that what college is like for a lot of people? Even when you do not learn an awful lot, you do end up making some awesome friendships there, and they always stay a part of you.
Having said all those nice things, the book would not make it to my list of ‘great books’.
Chetan Bhagat does have a great sense of humour, but he still has to learn the crafting that comes with being a writer. The book seems to have been written with one big burst of energy, leaving glaring loopholes in plot and narrative.
For instance, the protagonist’s friend meets with an accident – he is close to death, but survives. The accident is so serious that the boy will always walk with a limp. The news is kept from his parents for two months and he returns from the hospital to the hostel without their knowledge. Fine, fine…but the question in my mind was – considering that they are perpetually broke college students…who paid the bills?
And there are other similar twists in the plot that are worthy of Bollywood. Incidentally, there is a plan to make this into a film. I think that it would work extrememly well in this medium. And of course, I would love to see Amir (as Ryan), and Saif (as Hari – but a thin version) playing the main roles (yeah, yeah DCH) . But, there’s no role for Akshay here – the third role (Alok) is just not him.
Another problem is narrative. Chetan is fine when he speaks as Hari. But, he just can’t pull off being the voice of any of the other characters. And while changing the voice in which the book is told is a good concept, you need to be a good writer to pull it off.
And that’s when it hits you. Chetan has a good sense of fun. But, he still has to grow as a writer.
Growing beyond the Bollywood frame of reference might help a bit.
But more importantly, you need to think about your plot. And then, you need to craft the copy. The basics of good writing – as any good writer would tell you. Anything else is sloppy work.
On the whole, I would give this book a six point something. And while it’s not a ‘great’ book, it does make for fun reading.
