CHARACTERS: 2.5/5
WRITING STYLE: 2/5
CLIMAX: 2.5/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 2/5
A Few Musings
When I first saw the book A Beautiful Conclusion I was unimpressed with its cover but the blurb and the tagline got me interested. The title is a bit ambiguous but the tagline tells you exactly what you can expect from the book. It reads “quirky tale of a social media hitman” and was definitely good enough to arouse my interest.
The Story as it goes
Prajat is a young man whose life changes when his home, along with most of his small town, is destroyed in a massive earthquake in Rajasthan. With nothing left to do in Ghanela, he soon leaves for Delhi and gets employed in a dubious looking setup which he first mistakes for a call centre. Beggars cannot be choosers and with limited options available, Prajat has no choice but to accept the job of becoming a “Social Media Hitman” a.k.a a “Troll”.
But Prajat isn’t happy because this is not what he wants. Soon he realizes that the work he does is not only socially undesirable but also dangerous. His employers are disguised mobsters who don’t care much for civility and rights? So, what will Prajat do? Will he ever come out of the situation he has landed himself into? Would his life story ever reach a beautiful conclusion?
The Characters
The story’s central character is Prajat. He is a guy who brings us the goodness of small-town humility and that desperation to make it work. He represents the dreams of millions of Indians who relocate to big cities in order to achieve what they will never achieve in their small but beautiful towns. The other characters are not really given much importance but they do play their parts well. The opportunistic politician, the mobster bosses and the clueless friends all complement Prajat’s story in a nice way.
Writing Style
The writing style of the author is where A Beautiful Conclusion fails to impress. There is a lot left to be desired when it comes to narratives. Though the book follows the journey of Prajat, it is planned in a random manner which is annoying. The writing can be best described as amateurish and the use of language is poor. Further, there are major editing mistakes throughout the book which spoils the entire reading pleasure.
What about the Climax?
The climax of A Beautiful Conclusion was good. It gave a befitting end to the story of Prajat. Also, there was a lot of action and misadventure towards the end which made the climax a fast-paced one. The whole business of Prajat trying to come out of the clutches of his mobster bosses and getting his revenge on them made for an entertaining climax.
Entertaining, eh?
A Beautiful Conclusion tells a decent story of a small-town man with big dreams but it fails miserably when it comes to language, grammar and editing. In that sense, overall, it does not come under the category of an entertainer.
What did I like?
I liked the way that the book started on a very interesting note – an earthquake in Rajasthan and the relief work associated with it. As a reader, it immediately got my interest up. Further, I also liked the way the book mocks the fighting arena that our social media has become these days. It was a decent attempt at penning a satire. There were also a couple of interesting and short side-stories which were interesting to read – the story about the nightly escapades of Mrs. Loni was worth a laugh.
Pick it up if
Pick A Beautiful Conclusion if the idea of reading about a social media hitman interests you. You may also choose this book if you are just getting into reading English novels and don’t care much about grammar and editing.
Skip it if
If you can’t stand poorly edited novels.
Buy your copy of A Beautiful Conclusion from the link below.
