Title: Touching distance-The great Indian MBA dream
Author: Shiva Prakash
ISBN: 978-81-910673-3-0
Genre: Campus Fiction
Price: Rs. 195
Publishers: Amaryllis
Plot:
This novel is mainly about a south Indian guy who gets frustrated of slogging in the great Indian coding factory and decides that an MBA from the newly established Indian School of Business would help him realize his true potential and also rekindle his love life at the same time. Through the course of the book, he meets some remarkable people, experiences new depths of depressing failure and gains a new perspective on life in general.
What I liked about the book :-)
- The author's penchant for heavy descriptions. The way the ISB campus has been described throughout is amazing. It literally creates a perfect visage of the campus in the reader's mind and transports him there.
- A unique zesty style of writing. The book is littered with interesting similes and metaphors. There is not much repetition of phrases and hence there are very few cliches, making the reading process an enjoyable activity.
- The author has done a good job in describing the protagonist's aspirations and experiences. The development of a subtle love story in the background has been done well, lending a mild romantic flavor to the genre. By not concentrating too much on the love angle the author has prevented this book from being reduced to merely another campus romance flick.
- The various observations made on the current state of Indian B-school education/placements and in particular the interviews/work-life are just excellent. This makes the book a must-read for any MBA aspirant as it busts some MBA myths and reinforces others, like the book summary promises.
- The novel starts excellently but towards the end the author seems to have drifted a tad too much, as the ending will leave you a bit confused. I expected more of a focus on the main protagonist rather than his friends. Perhaps the author wanted to elucidate the different tracks that people tread on post-MBA, however I felt that he could have done a better job.
Misc.
1. You can buy it here
