Book Review: Charliezz...

"Charliezz" is a youth-oriented love story written by Trupthi Guttal and Zeeshan Farooqui. It has elements of fun, love (though quite stretched at times), office scenarios, nick-names of people we love (sarcasm) et al. Two things caught my immediate attention before even reading this book. One - obviously the name of the book. What does it convey? And second - the book cover - you see a man in professional attire happily juggling different balls and seems under control.

But then, there's a saying: Don't judge a book by its cover!

Target Audience:

1. Young professionals - for they will relate to the storyline
2. Soup boys - for they might realize the other side of the story
3. People who want to relive their experience in Goa.
4. Experienced professionals - for they will relive those 'boss-ing' days
5. Hindi speaking public - as there are many Hindi words in between

Plot:

The story is about three friends in a chemical engineering company who are finding it tough to work with their boss. The expectations are sky high, the delivery simply isn't. Then there's a flashback story of one of the friend when he was in college. That story leads you to the current phase and the loose ends start tying up on their own! In the first half, the story moves no where with a bit of everything happening here and there. And just when you feel you are becoming confused, it surprises you with an interesting twist. I obviously won't be revealing the story - you see, the authors need to get their efforts worth!! The heart and soul of this book is the story-line.

Writing:

Its more of a narration type novel. That's normal, right? But here's the catch: there are two narrators!! Now here is where you will either enjoy the book, or you will be more confused about who is actually narrating. I personally found it enjoyable. The concept is a bit like the movie "Inception" - you don't know you are in which dream! But I must admit, the transition from one narrator to another could have been handled more smoothly than it actually is. The English is simple and straightforward. Anyone and everyone can read this.

There are a few loop-holes though. There are a lot of characters in the book that the reader is expected to remember which becomes a bit of a dampener as you will have to go back and recollect who the character actually was. The editing lacks finesse. Proof reading has to improve. There are 'typos' here and there, but some of them, I believe, are deliberately included just to include a phonetics angle.

And by the way, "Charlies" is what their boss (Volcano) calls the three protagonists in the book. And in case you are wondering, it's not an appreciation!!

Relevance in today's times:

This is, more or less, what happens in a corporate environment. Most of the situations make sense and we can expect such a thing to happen in offices. The love story angle is also similar to what you, or your friends might have gone through. The situations are relevant, the characters are believable (even though there are many of characters to believe). And the twist is what makes the book what it is! Read the book completely without giving up and you will know what I am trying to say.

Overall, I think it's an easy going book. If you just want to have some fun hours of reading, this is the book for you. You start reading it, flip pages with a smile on your face, end it and smilingly move on in life. A fun read. For those studying and will soon enter the corporate sector, this book will give you a preview of what you 'might' expect. Please be informed that the situations mentioned in the book are not the same everywhere. The authors Trupthi Guttal and Zeeshan Farooqui have done a commendable job. Will surely wait for the second book, as and when it happens.


My Rating: 3/5