The Tales Pensieve

Part of Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads and South Asian Challenge 2013

Title: Jack Patel’s Dubai Dreams
Authors: P.G. Bhaskar
Publisher: Penguin Books
ISBN: 978-0-143-41526-8
Pages: 231
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 of 5
Reviewed for: Author

A debut and this is as fresh as it gets. P.G. Bhaskar writes from his familiar surroundings of Dubai and banking to give us a simple story laced with dry humor at its best. The attractive cover (and the sides) gives an impression of a fun read and the books lives up to the impression without dropping into the ‘funky’ read category. Its elite class fun and threatens to make you burst out laughing right in the middle of the readings. (Choose your reading surroundings well!!)

Bhaskar lets us a peek into Jaikishan Patel’s banking life in the international city of dreams – Dubai. Christened ‘Jack’ Patel by his global boss in a multi national brokerage company, he has lived all his life in India and is now trained in UK and US and finally gets posted in Dubai. We transverse with Jack as he gets acquainted to his jet-setting world of investment banking and scales success as a financial advisor, falls heads-over-heels for the daughter of his client, cracks deals over deals of great investments, climbs the office charts with his ever increasing revenues from brokerages and over all lives a dream life. In his first person narration Jack takes us through the world economic recession and the time when his castle falls like a pack of cards. It’s a long battle and a long flight out of Dubai for him.

Partly introspection, partly financial overdose Bhaskar makes a commendable debut with this one. Two things that work in favor of the book are – terrific dry wit and the descriptions that take us right to the place. The financial detailing did not work too well for me though the positives of the book do balance it out to a large extent. For some mature writing and realistic humorous insights into multi national working and life over all a recommended read.

Happy Reading.

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