Book review: One Indian Girl

Many are saying that this book's title is not justified, given the way the lead woman's life style is portrayed. I differ with this. I think, characterizing a woman, or a man for that matter, in a generic manner that is derived from the cultural roots of the country is not fair enough amidst the swiftly changing socio-economic conditions. Globalization on one front reduced the geographical boundaries to mere political ones. And now, the recent technological advancements have ensured the civilization takes a sharp turn in terms of people's life style. This is applicable for both men and women. Hence characterizing a woman based on thousand year's of legacy needs to be rechecked. So, I think there is no problem in the way the leading lady's characterization is done under the title 'One Indian Girl' in the latest fiction work by Chetan Bhagat.

I somehow lost interest in reading fiction few years back! I must confess, I could not stay away from purchasing this Chetan Bhagat's new pie! I purchased it and read the first chapter, and the rest happened all by itself. The story was indeed gripping, emotional and about a working independent woman, who had a mother daunting about marriage, a father always feeling proud about his daughter's carrier and less intervened, and a beautiful sister happily settled to be a house wife.

The leading lady, Radhika Mehta, works in banking sector, Chetan Bhagat's once own field of work. Understandably, there is a lot mention of technical stuff about banking in the book, in the story. Even though I did not understand the technicalities, I could manage to relate to the work-life style of the leading lady. That ensured my ever growing interest to turn to the next page quickly. The other characters of the novel are there to rotate the strike every now and then. While they are not typical of their kind, not way different too! And finally the climax-decision by the leading lady surprised me as well as satisfied the typical-Indian-woman character within me. One must read the book to know what's the decision is!

A quick read in free time and when feeling like getting lost in a fictional story will make one enjoy this book. Chetan Bhagat does the magic again, though not to the level of 'five point someone'!