Q & A

22 Oct 2005 · #misc

I finished reading Q & A by Vikas Swarup sometime last week. Here’s a powerpoint review:

Pros:

• Needless to say, the book’s plot is fresh and innovative.
• Makes for good, fast-paced reading.
• Predictable in parts but enjoyable overall.

Cons:

• Logically flawed: Many of the stories (and the plot as a whole) rely on the protagonist having an incredible memory for things just incidentally related to situations he’s been in. Yet, in the Taj Mahal episode, you find him forgetting a dozen odd things in the space of a few minutes!
• The book has a very plausible, based-in-reality feel to it till the War Hero’s episode. For no good reason, the author morphs the Kargil war into a full scale war; thus instantly taking the whole novel into a fictional universe.
• Is this book aimed at Indians or non-Indians? Why do all the films have titles like Name the Murderer and Back to the Village and not the proper Hindi titles? The absence of virtually any Hindi or Marathi phrases robs the book of flavour.

Summary:

• Rated: 3/5