The Amazing Racist by Chhimi Tenduf-La (Book Review-4*/5)!!!

      I know it's never a great idea to write the first blog itself in a new series a book review but it's said by far intelligent people than you and me that works come before anything else. :-) And what better than dedicating this new series of posts to my passion of reading by devoting it's first post to reading and BOOKS. Well, I just finished reading "The Amazing Racist" written by the debutante- Chhimi Tenduf-La. I was reading a new book after almost 35 days hence I wanted a great start and I thank author for giving me one of the best experiences of my reading life. Not every debutante fires such a work that makes you burst out all the emotions at different points of story. I am in awe of this book and I recommend it to you before you sign off this post without reading the full post in some hurry. :-) Haha!

   

          The narrative style of the author is one of the bests I have read in recent times. The way he has captured several difficult moments in ease with the help of command he has on the language makes this book much better than it is. Even though the plot looks very common to what we generally see in our movies but the way things take place after 40% of the book, is torturous for a reader to imagine the protagonist trapped in a messy situation. The characters are so well built up by the author that you get well connected with each of them- either its Eddie who is living a ruined life because of a wrong decision, Uncle Thilak who is the life of this book, Menaka- who portrays the trait of selfishness very well, Kiki- even being a 4 year old child, she speaks everything through author's voice :-) and Caroline- a lady who brings life in the last 30% of the story. As a debutante, I would say there could not have been a better attempt than this considering the plot on which the story is based. And I would significantly like to point out the humorous quotient inserted by the author at right moments which makes you smile even in a tensed situations of the story. That's another USP of the author. 

          At first, I felt that the book is going to be a Western version of Chetan Bhagat's 2 States even when it's based in Sri Lanka but once the plot moves ahead towards what happens after Menaka and Eddie weds and gives birth to a baby girl, Kiki, is unexpected and surprising. The relationship between Eddie and his father-in-law is justified so well that I wish to meet both of them in real and experience the sweetness and bitterness their relation has. One of the difficult scenes to accept is the one when Eddie abruptly picks up Kiki from home for airport. It made me cry like mad considering what Uncle Thilak must be going through. Also the climax is very emotional. Throughout the book I had almost accepted it as 3.5* material. In pre-climax it climbed up by .25 and after the climax, I give this book 4* out of 5 undoubtedly and proudly. Thanks for the beautiful work, Chhimi. Waiting for more books from you. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!