An Indian Loser | Uzma Hameed | Book Review

PLOT: 3/5
CHARACTERS: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
CLIMAX: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5

Light and humorous at the beginning, An Indian Loser is the tale of Pichku and his friend Mustang who are soon to appear for the Uttar Pradesh Board Examination. They are also companions in the JEE coaching class.

What follows through is a story of friendship and mutual bonding that is commemorated by the very knowledge of their togetherness.

An Indian Loser is an 8-hour-read and quite lengthy. What is interesting is that the climax comes at the fag end of the book so one has to go on reading till the end to come to a proper understanding of the plot.

A lot of matter is added as a subplot. It enhances the background of the characters and adds to building up of the plot.

The humour comes from the fun-filled drama that the teens create. There are episodes of their smoking and dating escapades that add to the characterisation and help define the characters better. However, the basic characterisation is minimal and what is most learnt about the characters is through the incidents.

In fact, it is the plot that is at the heart of the novel. It is episodic and has multiple climaxes.

At the crux is the failure of the central character Peeyush. Though he is the child prodigy of the dream that he and his parents share, his stroke of ill luck makes him attain the taunts of those around him. It is for the first time that he experiences the social stigma that surrounds failure in the middle-class society of India.

Desperate for some relief, he runs away from his family and enrols into an average college with a regular course. That is not the end to Peeyush’s career. He is determined to make a career in politics. It is the turning point of the story and his deep involvement in politics is of the most concern to his best friend who is now his arch rival.

The story has a lot of drama. It is this that holds up the novel till the end.

Will Peeyush come back on track? Or will he be lost into the political mayhem forever? Will he lose himself totally or will his union with his arch-rival bring about the old sentiments of goodwill and friendship outside of professional barriers?

The language is rich and well-cast. The vocabulary is fairly difficult though not too intense. Despite dealing with a difficult plot line, the language is aptly chosen and fairly composed.

Getting past bits of unimportant information will lead to the heart of the novel that is a heart-wrenchingly honest attempt about the naïveté of failure and the sorrow it puts one into.

An Indian Loser has several lessons to take away from. It provides an in-depth understanding of the hardships of failure especially in the face of lack of support from near and dear ones.

The book functions as a mirror and reflection of the negatives within our society starting from what careers to opt for and how to go about it. The title is catchy though the book cover is bland.

Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of An Indian Loser using the link below.