I started reading this book because I understood it was about cricket and learnt that President Obama was reading it, so it must be good. Unfortunately, it was a disappointment for a variety of reasons. This is not a function of the author's writing, which is very beautiful prose, but of the plot developments.
First, the author does not use a linear storyline, but instead resorts to a device of flashbacks. This is not a problem in itself, but instead of adding to the mystery, the author reveals what will happen to the main characters in the story. This robs us of any anticipation when reading conversations between the characters making future plans. Maybe mixing up different timelines makes the book seem more complex and stylistic, but it is clearly unnecessary and counter-productive in this novel.
The reviews make it seem that the book was about cricket, but there is not much about actual cricket - just a few passages. Those sections of the novel are well-written and it made me wonder why the author did not pick up that storyline and run with it. Instead playing cricket is one of many different random and contrived incidents in the book. The cover of the book is deceptive in this regard.
Some have compared the book to "The Great Gatsby". I think it is apt because "
The Great Gatsby" is also over-rated in my opinion. Death is a convenient method of resolving your plot and it makes the book tragic and more "classic". But it is much more difficult to take a tangled situation and work it through. For example, take "
The Bridges of Madison County". It would have been easy to end it with killing off someone. However, the fact that one character makes a tough decision elevates the book.
A novel becomes great when its characters behave rationally and have a mind of their own instead of drifting according to the plot. The characters are never forced to do something. They always have a choice and the plot turns on that. Great stories do not depend on artificial devices. They can be very conventional in design and yet be very powerful. For example, "
The Old Man and the Sea" is very simple, straightforward and short, but grabs you and doesn't let go.
Tags: fiction
