From the author of Slumdog Millionaire, Vikas Swarup comes another book Accidental Apprentice that is based on the presumption : In life you never get what you deserve ; you get what you negotiate.
The book is racy in bits and pieces, however, falls apart as it is juxtaposed with major news makers (Nirmala Ben/Anna Hazare) and stale headline news events (Khap Panchayats, Delhi Rape Case, the Kidney Scam, Indian Reality shows) in between the storyline. Although it is not a struggle to read but one feels disappointed with the book as you feel it has been basically written for turning into a film script. However, the ending of the book is on a surprising note.
The storyline of the book is : What would you do if, out of the blue, a billionaire industrialist offers to make you the CEO of his company? And that too with no business experience. However, the protagonist has to pass seven tests from the ‘textbook of life'. This offer is made to Sapna Sinha, an ordinary salesgirl working in an electronics boutique in downtown Delhi, by Vinay Mohan Acharya, one of India’s richest industrialist.Thus, begins the most challenging journey of Sapna’s life, one that will test her character, her courage and her capabilities. Along the way, Sapna encounters a host of personalities, from a vain Bollywood superstar to a kleptomaniac Gandhian. At stake is a business empire worth 10 billion dollars, and the future, she has always dreamt of. But are the seven tests for real or is Acharya playing a deeper game, one driven by a perverse fantasy?
From this author, whose earlier book went on to become one of the biggest films of the decade, comes this tale of the power of dreams, the lure of money and the universal need to know who we are. Drawing heavily from newspaper headlines and reality shows, Vikas Swarup's book has no surprise elements except the ending and takes you through the known by lanes and alleys of India on a roller coaster. In fact, Sapna is on a ride of her lifetime in the bustling capital of the country with the events happening to her that seems to be too coincidental and contrived for an ordinary girl belonging to the lower middle class.
Is it a potboiler, a thriller, a Bollywood story or a simple collation of news events put in the story format with a protagonist? Well it is a combination of all these elements that ultimately is pretty predictable for a reader who is familiar with news happenings in the country.
Although makes for a good read but there is nothing new in the plot with lot of loopholes and unbelievable incidents in the life of Sapna with the seven tests being inane and far fetched. Good for another Bollywood or Hollywood production and raking millions in the event.