PLOT: 3/5
CHARACTERS: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 4/5
CLIMAX: 3.5/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5
My Musings
One would think that a medical college would be much different than a regular one. Given the intellectual level of its students and the importance of the curriculum, one can only imagine how serious life in a medical college would be. Right? Wrong! I recently had the opportunity to read Dissected, a book that told me a lot about what life in a medical college is really like.
Dissected by Naveen Kakkar takes us on a fun-filled roller coaster ride that is a medical college. It shatters our many pre-conceived notions about medical students and life at the campus.
What to expect?
Expect a book that gives us insights into the life of a medical student; expect a book that tells us a great deal about how college life was before the dawn of the communications era.
The book is a rather short read written with a generous dose of wit and humour. Dissected isn’t your conventional novel because unlike a regular novel it isn’t about a few characters and their story.
On the contrary, it attempts to tell us the story of fifty odd individuals who were thrown together into the myriad circus that is a medical college.
Let’s talk about the storyline
The students that have applied to the Dale Medical College in are many. They come from different family backgrounds, different upbringings, with a different set of expectations and different skill sets.
Some come willingly while some have been made to carry the heavy load of parental expectations.
How life would be like for these 50 students who start their first term at the college is what this book is all about. Spanning over a single term it takes us on a rather funny and eccentric journey.
How good are the characters?
Since there is an entire cast of characters whose story has been told in Dissected, the kind of focus on characters which is quite the norm in most other novels is palpably missing.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing however it does lead to a kind of detachment the reader experiences while reading the book. like watching an unending line of people without actually getting to know any of them better.
What about the writing style?
The book is a rather short read written in a language that might or might not appeal to a beginner level reader.
More precisely, the style of narration that Naveen Kakkar uses (he relies on a generous dose of wit and humour in his writing) is such that a beginner level reader might not be able to enjoy the book to its fullest.
Reading this book feels like taking multiple walks in the same train (bad analogy! I know) because you only get to know a little about every character, you only witness some events of their life and you hardly get to any of them before the journey is concluded.
Sometimes, it also feels that the book is more anecdotal than fiction. However, the author claims otherwise.
What I really enjoyed though, is how the book makes one nostalgic about one’s own college days. It was a pleasure reliving those memories which once were such an integral part of my own life.
I also liked how the author explores all aspects of college life – friendship, love, loyalty, betrayal, group dynamics, sneaky roommates, hostile professors, and adventures and misadventures.
Was the climax good enough?
When it comes to the climax, Dissected isn’t one of your regular reads.
Since there isn’t a single plot or character whose story needs a conclusion, the book doesn’t have a climax in the traditional sense.
However, it does bring closure to the story of the fifty plus individuals whose tales have been told in the book. The book concludes just like it starts – randomly. But that isn’t a bad thing.
In the end, it leaves you with a sweet tingle; happy and amused at having read a decent book.
It all boils down to the entertainment quotient
Dissected by Naveen Kakkar is a book that has a good dose of entertainment. Effectively combining wit and humour with college memories and his storytelling abilities, the author puts together a book that is worth your effort and money.
It is short read that is meant to amuse you on a lazy afternoon. the humour is not the laughing-out-loud kind, the book does leave you on a happy note.
Pick the book
- If you are looking for light humour.
- If you enjoy short and easy reads written with just the right dose of humour.
- If you want to know what life in a medical college really feels like.
- If you have ever studied in a medical college or have plans to do so.
Skip the book
- If you are looking for a literary fiction.
- If you don’t like short reads.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy a copy of Naveen Kakkar’s Dissected using the link below.
