This is about a novel, in which God calls on a cell phone, a Maruthi 800 (with AC) beats a Lexus, the Microsoft Word easter-egg saves the world and which ends with a Bollywood style car chase and group photo scene. Could all that make a good novel? Well, it does my friend. It does!

“one night @ the call center” by Chetan Bhagat is a story revolving around six call centre workers. The story is about these people who are all finding it difficult to adjust to the problems they face in life and on one particular night find themselves attending a call… a call from God.

There are two things that made me like this novel. One is the racy humorous style used by Chetan. Two, the ease & swiftness with which I could identify with the protagonist Shyam. I have never worked in a call center, I already own a Maruthi 800 (has no AC) and I haven’t done a lot of things described in the novel (though I would love to ;)) but I could find traces of him all over my life. Chetan claims to have written this book to portray the mind of the average Indian youth. I don’t know whether I am the average Indian youth, but if I am then he has definitely succeeded.

I wouldn’t say this a perfect novel… the plot does go on expected lines and there is some unnecessary melodrama at times… but these flaws are well compensated by the casual conversational style of writing. You never feel bored and wouldn’t feel like putting this down before finishing it. Definitely a must read, folks. And it comes rather cheap too, just around 100 bucks for this nice book. Don’t waste any time… get one, read it now!

About the author… “one night @ the call center” is Chetan Bhagat’s second novel. If the name doesn’t ring any bells, he is an IIT + IIM product who shot into fame with his best selling novel “5 point some one”. I haven’t read that yet but definitely my next book.

  Links:

• Official Site »     (chetanbhagat.com)
• Buy Online »     (firstandsecond.com)