31 Author: Upendra Namburi - Book Review

Book Review

31 Author: Upendra Namburi Publisher: Westland Rating: ***1/2

When Ravi Shastry’s world suddenly takes a nose-first dive into a valley of disaster, I find myself gripped by the unravelling of events. What should have been a good month with praise, appreciation and more importantly promotions and increments, overnight turns into a trouble-ladden roller coaster ride with ‘pink slips’, fiscal struggles, office politics and a personal debacle for Ravi. Ravi tries to manage the commotion and uncertainty at work, while his wife bears the brunt of unfairness at work and struggles to hold on to her job. As the threat of them both being jobless hangs over them, their relationship feels the strains of miscommunication, misjudgment and misinterpretation spiralling out of control which almost ends in disaster. Written in a unique style, with every chapter being of a day of March, the book keeps you engrossed with tantalising details of office misgivings, dirty tricks and shady deals being made in order to stay at the top of the food chain in the corporate ladder of a leading financial instutition. Upendra explores Ravi’s relationships with his colleagues in anguishing detail, which turns out to be a good idea. As the book progresses, the euqations get more and more convuluted and as it would be in the real world, and it gets hard to tell the real confidants apart from the vultures of opportunity. What makes this book a gripping read, is the realness of it all. Post the recession and economic slowdown, most of us can relate to Ravi’s plight, if not from our own experieces, then from those of people known to us. Because of this, we understand some of the tough decisions Ravi makes and forgive him for some of the very bad ones he makes as well. He is a real guy — like any of us — who feels, reacts and struggles with his emotions, who tries to do the right thing, but is sometimes forced to do the wrong thing, and sometimes too weak to stick by his morales. When you leave Ravi and his semi-sorted out life, you will find yourself a little less judgmental and a little more compassionate — that is the gift of this pacy and stimulating book.