Book Review #84: The Bestseller She Wrote By Ravi Subramanian

Title: The Bestseller She Wrote

Author: Ravi Subramanian

Publishers: Westland

Genre: General Fiction/Thriller

Pages: 300+

Source: Personal Copy

Reading the thriller genre books adds an extra layer of expectations from the story. Having read The Bankster from the same author had kept my hopes further high and took up this book to read. As the author himself says, this is the first time he is penning a romantic thriller genre novel and I will give the benefit of doubt to the author. But still, Author Ravi Subramanian was left with no choice but to use the same Bank as his prop for setting up the novel. Few authors couldn’t think beyond their home turf I would say. Anyway, coming to the book, it is an easy read kind of book. Broken in to nearly 85 small chapters adds the required pace to the book and you can very well read it in few hours. Language used is quite simple and the narration is good.

Aditya Kapoor a successful fiction writer of the country, who is also an alumnus of IIM Bangalore, comes there to give a talk or speech. An unexpected argument with a girl called Shreya from the audience regarding selling the book as a product, where Shreya had a differences of opinion with the author. The argument led to the intersection of the lives of these two in quick session. After reading a book of Aditya, Shreya becomes a huge of him overnight. She emails him about how his book has changed her perception of him and how she felt silly to argue with the best author of the country.

When Aditya, who is also a successful banker again goes to IIM Bangalore for placements, coaxes his friend cum colleague Sanjay (the HR head of the bank) to hire Shreya. She was hired to the bank and as expected a close friendship develops between Aditya and Shreya. Shreya who was also an avid reader and an aspiring writer, gets help from Aditya to publish her work or as the title of the novel goes “The Bestseller”. Whereas, Aditya, a middle aged married man, with a six year old son, finds himself attracted to Shreya. Thus begins an extramarital affair between both of them.

Few sections in the book could’ve been really avoided considering the audience that this book will be reaching. The book certainly adds the thrill factor to it. But, what is the necessity of an erotic part? I am still thinking, what has author achieved while he described how Shreya’s buttocks or boobs looks like? Or How the Aditya gets attracted to Shreya’s physical features than the actual love that they both thought in reality? Things like these could damage an author’s reputation instantly. As per the author, the famous fiction writer in the country, do not know how to write an erotic scenes in his novel? (What a downfall?). The disgusting part was when Shreya helps Aditya on how to write an erotic scene in a practical way? And that too by keeping an audio recorder that records their wild moaning during the act? (Author certainly needs some introspection here). I am sure this section of the book reminds the readers about 50 Shades of Grey.

Each character in the novel seems to be lacking in moral. Aditya, a successful writer and a happily married man and also a person who had an extramarital affair, finds out that he loved his wife Maya only when she falls sick, and that too after sleeping with Shreya? Shreya on the other hand was an avid reader and an aspiring writer and is all ready to get her work published either by hook or crook? To the extent of sleeping with Aditya and then resorting to blackmail? Sanjay, a college buddy and now colleague of Aditya, who is also an avid reader and has a strange habit of not letting anyone to touch his books, who stands by Aditya’s side always, but turns out to be a conman? Apart from these characters, the rest of the characters were given less prominence. I had expected more from Maya’s character. But, let us agree that this is what the author had imagined.

The narrative is rife with the things that are unnecessary or unbelievable. The love scenes are put in such a way that, it was not all required to go to an extent that, how Aditya unbuttoned Shreya’s shirt or how he pulled her panties or how Shreya unzipped Aditya’s trousers and feel and touch of their reproductive organs is quite uncalled for. The funny thing is, Aditya now stuck in dilemma on how to resolve his love-life crisis, finds out that, his “beloved” wife Maya is suffering from Ebola. Are you serious? Showing Maya on critical illness would’ve sufficed a lot. But, bringing the “Ebola” into the picture was not needed.

As is the case in every other romantic novel, Maya does gets cured of Ebola and the climax revelation will feed Maya regarding the emotional side of Aditya and how “courageous” was her husband. Just because he accepts his illicit relationship with Shreya on an open podium could melt the heroine’s heart (Where are those feminists?). At the end, as everyone expected, Shreya went on to become a bestseller for just one book. Guilt ridden Shreya, who thinks, because of conning and blackmailing Aditya had psychologically damaged her writing brain and she couldn’t continue to write. On the other side, Aditya, having lost everything and gaining back everything (including his lost wife) lives happily ever after.

I sincerely hope that the first romantic thriller experiment of the author becomes the last experiment of him. I loved his other writings but not this one. This could’ve been shaped up really well, had the author not followed in the footsteps of Chetan Bhagat (Oh yea, there is a reference to CB as well in this novel). A soon to be a biggest motion picture in the Bollywood!! Well, I am definitely not looking forward to it. Period.

My Rating:

2.5/5