The 3 Mistakes of My Life
'The biggest selling English language novelist in India's history' says the cover of The 3 Mistakes of My Life, Chetan Bhagat's new novel. In the Acknowledgments page he writes, 'However, I don't want to be India's most admired writer. I just want to be India's most loved writer.' By 'admired' he meant 'respected' I think.
In the same page he starts off with 'To Shinie Antony...' and goes about listing all the people that helped him BUT he does not say what he wanted to say. It is just a list of people. Who is your editor Chetan?
I told myself that I will not start judging the book even before I read it. But I can't help it.
I don't want to talk about Bhagat's writing skills. I am even willing to forgive the lapse on page 3 of the story. He will admit himself that his prose is not something to write home about. Let's talk storytelling. His story is based in Ahmedabad. His characters talk like they are in Boston though. Where is the local flavor Chetan? Guys, even those that want to be seen as hip, don't talk like 'Sure, Ish could not make his dream of being in the Indian Cricket team real.' I know, you mean 'Ish could not realise his dream...' If someone smashes my face, I will not ask 'What's wrong with you?' I will punch him back or run away or at least scream my lungs off. But I definitely won't inquire about my attacker's state of mind.
Chetan don't be carried away by Bollywood. You probably think it is a shrewd idea to package Cricket and Religion in a tale. It is probably clever, I don't know, but to spin a tale, any tale, you need to get the basicswrite right. I want to identify with your characters. I don't expect a Gujju boy to sound like a foul-mouthed, prepubescent American. I am sure Gujju boys use a lot more 'behen chod' or 'madar chod' than 'fuck'. I hazard a guess that not many in that small town use 'dude'. My point is that I could not see the old city in Ahmedabad. The net effect was that your characters lack life and depth. They sound like Bollywood characters.
So how does one bring the local, vernacular flavor to a tale written in English? Find key phrases, ideas... hooks that will instantly make your reader relate to your story. For example, if you wrote a story based in Chennai about the same characters. You are better off writing 'Otha stop it da machan' than 'What the fuck! Stop it dude!' That's a crude example, but I hope you see my point.
Chetan you know what the three mistakes of your life are now? Don't you?
I wonder, when an American critic picks up the novel, and spots the line on page 3 'We ran out the house' what will she think about us Indian readers? All right it is a typo but dude, but what the fuck?
Here's a review by The Mint. Taneesha, learn what a possessive pronoun is first before you write shit like "Its not when New York Times describes him as the biggest selling English language author..."
Long live mediocrity! Add to:del.icio.us| Digg| Reddit| StumbleUpon| Technorati
In the same page he starts off with 'To Shinie Antony...' and goes about listing all the people that helped him BUT he does not say what he wanted to say. It is just a list of people. Who is your editor Chetan?
I told myself that I will not start judging the book even before I read it. But I can't help it.
I don't want to talk about Bhagat's writing skills. I am even willing to forgive the lapse on page 3 of the story. He will admit himself that his prose is not something to write home about. Let's talk storytelling. His story is based in Ahmedabad. His characters talk like they are in Boston though. Where is the local flavor Chetan? Guys, even those that want to be seen as hip, don't talk like 'Sure, Ish could not make his dream of being in the Indian Cricket team real.' I know, you mean 'Ish could not realise his dream...' If someone smashes my face, I will not ask 'What's wrong with you?' I will punch him back or run away or at least scream my lungs off. But I definitely won't inquire about my attacker's state of mind.
Chetan don't be carried away by Bollywood. You probably think it is a shrewd idea to package Cricket and Religion in a tale. It is probably clever, I don't know, but to spin a tale, any tale, you need to get the basics
So how does one bring the local, vernacular flavor to a tale written in English? Find key phrases, ideas... hooks that will instantly make your reader relate to your story. For example, if you wrote a story based in Chennai about the same characters. You are better off writing 'Otha stop it da machan' than 'What the fuck! Stop it dude!' That's a crude example, but I hope you see my point.
Chetan you know what the three mistakes of your life are now? Don't you?
I wonder, when an American critic picks up the novel, and spots the line on page 3 'We ran out the house' what will she think about us Indian readers? All right it is a typo but dude, but what the fuck?
Here's a review by The Mint. Taneesha, learn what a possessive pronoun is first before you write shit like "Its not when New York Times describes him as the biggest selling English language author..."
Long live mediocrity! Add to:del.icio.us| Digg| Reddit| StumbleUpon| Technorati
9 Comments:
"you need to get the basics write"
cool.
Ouch! Serves me right. Thanks Anon, fixed it.
That reminds me, we (or, well, I) need to finish that story set in Madras.
Blind man story? Yes.
Suman, good review! I wanted to point out, however, that what Indian readers might think of as a typo on page 3 is completely acceptable colloquial speech ... in America! So your points about local flavor vs Boston and his MIA editor are still totally valid, but if this is for an international audience, the missing word won't trip them up like it did you.
(Think how in India we say "I'm going to office." In America, people want to interject the preposition or the possessive pronoun to modify that 'office' - 'a', 'the', 'my' whatever. It brings them to a screeching halt like the lack of "the" did you here! :D I'm amused.)
On that note, I'm going to run out the house and read something that's not by Mr. Bhagat.
(And p.s. if typos drive you mad, avoid "Curry" by Lizzie Collingham.)
Thanks Chhavi! I am not a purist myself. And, I am not perfect. I have made worse mistakes and still continue to grapple with the problem of getting your piece right, in the first draft (at least when I am blogging). My biggest grouse with Chetan's book is his plastic characters. I don't even want to discuss the story movement. Chetan provides, at best, a cliched, Bollywoodish portrayal which leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Coming back to typos, it is all right if you and I make a typo error, but if it is in a book I paid for, well, that's unforgivable. Chetan writes for Indian readers. So, though you may have a valid point as regards the American colloquialism, that page 3 mistake still holds good for us. :-) Thanks for swinging by!
great review mate.. besides, the book feels like one's reading his first book all over again.. similar plot, characters etc.. i think u really got the review dead right :)
u can have a look at mine too: http://blog.rohitnair.in
rgds
rohit
Saw your review while googling. :D Nice take!
"It is probably clever, I don't know, but to spin a tale, any tale, you need to get the basics write/right"
Loved the pun! :))
Do read my take on the book too! :D
Cheers,
Hari
Great review and Kudos to you for slamming this really bad book. I really wish someone(or readers in India) would wake up and smell the filter coffee and say enough to the mindless drivel that Chetan bhagat publishes. He tries to inject so much bollywood masala that its painful to read and not entertaining at all.
This is one of his biggest mistakes in writing a book for sure.
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