Book review: An Average Guy by Kshitiz Sudhakar

An average guy
Author: Kshitiz Sudhakar
Publisher: First Step Publishing
Rating: 01/5

Summary
“An Average guy” is a story of a young boy who believes in enjoying life to the fullest but lacks the willpower and the determination that is required to grow into a better person. The background of the story is set in the state of Bihar, where Neel, the protagonist, lives. Neel’s parents badger him constantly for studying but their efforts reap no benefits. The story begins when Neel gets his comeuppance by getting detained in class 7th and as a consequence, his admission is withdrawn from the reputed “Saint Joseph’s School, Bhagalpur”. But things do not change even after he gets admission to the new school. He avoids studies and the environment of the Hindi-medium school is equivalent to blowing away the cobwebs for him. Neel’s parents remain a bundle of nerves as his performance deteriorates day by day and somehow, with God’s grace and as a result of his father’s prayers, he manages to pass the final exams. During his eleventh, cupid strikes his heart and he falls for Nalini. Their love blossoms through the streets of Bihar and eventually they break up after Neel fails in his 12th class board examinations. Failed in love, failed in career, Neel becomes hopeless and indecisive. Tables are turned when Neel scores really well in his second attempt and manages to get admission in a good college. But eventually, the chickens come home to roost. ‘Que sera sera’; fate cannot be controlled. The end sends jitters down the spine and leaves the reader stunned.

My opinion
It is true that you can’t make an Omelette without breaking the eggs. Similarly, it is impossible to make important changes without causing some unpleasant effects. The story of the average guy, Neel, is based on the same theme. The author has taken into account the very minute details of the life of the protagonist and has portrayed them finely. The story runs at a comfortable pace but there are some awkward pauses that can confuse the readers. The cover of the book is mesmerizing enough to break the ice between the content and the readers (10/ 10 points for the cover). The print quality is also good. The author has tried to introduce the majority of the characters but somewhere the strings relating to different characters, are left untied. The story is one such experience that every other person must have had at some point in his/ her life. It is relatable. The author’s efforts to connect with his audience have been successful in this regard. The climax is, however, startling. There are some unanswered questions like what happened to Nalini and how did she react to the news? Why didn’t the hostel authorities know about the boys?

Overall, a straight-from-the-heart story. Good effort by the author.

Drawbacks
The major drawback in this book is the lack of flow in the story and inappropriate proofreading. For an instance, the story is written in a combination of first person as well as the third person and this leaves the readers befuddled. Although there is lucidity in the expression, the grammatical errors nullify the advantage. The book lacks contents section and the heading and the subheading are not in a proper sequence. For an instance, the total number of chapters is four, followed by an epilogue and the fourth chapter is 82-83 pages long. The epilogue is too long to keep the attention of the readers gripped.

Buying Link: Amazon