It's a has been a few weeks since I read this book so I don't remember some cute sentences that I liked when I read. And perhaps I also lost some of the emotions I felt. But here are my reflections on the overall theme of the book.
First I totally relate to the book. It's a book on a boy growing up in Madras in the 80s. Not just this boy but any boy growing up in Madras for that matter any metropolis in South India would go through similar experiences.
In the end it is a simple story, a satirical story of boys growing up in the 80s in India. This story was set in Madras so you have local nuances but I don't think you would lose the essence of it if it was based in Delhi.
The job boom led by the IT industry was yet to take off. Unless you were born into the rich, the only escape to a comfortable life was to work your way through competitive exams, crack at least one of them, secure a place in one of the premium institutions and use it as a launch pad to secure a job / go to the US, you get the point.
It's a story of this time, told mostly through from the boy's point of view. It was not easy being a boy during those days. All that mattered was the entrance exam. Can you clear it or not? It separated boys into neat categories. The one who was going to become an engineer and go on to better things in life or the loafer who would go to the arts college and hang around the tea shops with friends and be reminded of his useless existence everyday by the father.
The entrance came first. Girls? they were a distraction. sports? Haven't you read about people selling their medals? Every thing revolved around how you could you gain an advantage through coaching, practice et al.
First I totally relate to the book. It's a book on a boy growing up in Madras in the 80s. Not just this boy but any boy growing up in Madras for that matter any metropolis in South India would go through similar experiences.
In the end it is a simple story, a satirical story of boys growing up in the 80s in India. This story was set in Madras so you have local nuances but I don't think you would lose the essence of it if it was based in Delhi.
The job boom led by the IT industry was yet to take off. Unless you were born into the rich, the only escape to a comfortable life was to work your way through competitive exams, crack at least one of them, secure a place in one of the premium institutions and use it as a launch pad to secure a job / go to the US, you get the point.
It's a story of this time, told mostly through from the boy's point of view. It was not easy being a boy during those days. All that mattered was the entrance exam. Can you clear it or not? It separated boys into neat categories. The one who was going to become an engineer and go on to better things in life or the loafer who would go to the arts college and hang around the tea shops with friends and be reminded of his useless existence everyday by the father.
The entrance came first. Girls? they were a distraction. sports? Haven't you read about people selling their medals? Every thing revolved around how you could you gain an advantage through coaching, practice et al.
Manu explores the complicated relationship between fathers and sons well. The father with limited income, under pressure to provide for the family, with weakness for the bottle and women and the son who suffers through this all making up his mind not to become like his father.
Manu complicates the plot with the sub-plot of science fiction with the super natural powers of the boy and the novel becomes a mystery for a while but you always have a feeling that there is a simple solution that explains it all.
on the whole, I found it an enjoyable read with enough complications to keep you interested.
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