In
Ravi Subramanian’s banking world every mean is justified if it gives the end
the people want. He talks of people, who pay two and half lakhs rupee rent on
apartments, who shift their allegiance at a drop of the hat for their cause, women
who don’t even think twice to seduce their bosses and the works. Being ruthless
in their ambition only seems to be the hallmark of the people who inhabit this
world and coming from a veteran in both banking and its related fiction, his
characters are only too believable. Ethical dilemmas are rare but when
found are dealt clinically with higher incentives or better appraisals and when
none of them work, they unite to force it out of their system.
But
“The Bankster” has more to offer in its James Bondesque international
conspiracy to undermine India’s efforts at launching a nuclear power plant at
Trikakulam in Kerala. Forces work towards its decommissioning with USA and
Germany being the major opponents working with politicians in India with vested
interests. It’s a murky world altogether and Ravi weaves an intriguing story
spanning across Vienna, Kerala and Mumbai which manages to hold your attention
for most part of its 358 pages. One of the contributing factors for a thriller
to work is the red herrings and he does a great job at planting them
appropriately and effectively. The narrative juggles between people at GB2 bank
trying to piece together some discrepancies in their accounts and the protest
against the nuclear power plant by NGOs and politicians. It is a page-turner
alright but the inevitable end to all the action seems lame when put into
perspective with the captivating built up to it. The characters are not
entirely relatable and the climax neither disturbs you nor enthralls you making
it a kind of damp squib.
The
lack of a strong underlying theme renders this book lesser than its
international counterparts while Ravi’s prose itself is simple, unassuming and
lacks the style of a Dan Brown or a John Grisham (as the Wall Street Journal on
the cover page chose to compare him to). Especially when the officers at Vienna
use almost the same language and intonations as we use in India, it does not
gel particularly well. However, for a fiction of banking, it does not indulge
too much on the jargon and suitable explanations (though sometimes naïve) are
provided to the uninformed
reader.
The
Bankster has a lot of things going for it from its interesting cover design to
the reputation of its' bestselling author and it is easy to pick this up in any
store you might find it. If you are looking for a harmless light read that
thrills you and keeps you on the edge throughout your flight, The Bankster is
recommended. It is a reasonably well-researched work and stays clear of
political propaganda albeit being a little too casual in its approach. But be
warned that by the end of it all you might not be any wiser than when you have
started reading it.
PS:
One minor squabble I had with the author is his unfortunate and unnecessary dig
at Cricket Player Ravinder Jadeja. While I confess I’m not a huge fan of the
player and Jadeja is no Vettori or Yuvraj to have people coming instantaneously
to his defense, it suits the author well to realize that he isn’t exactly the
modern days’ Tagore of Indian Literature himself.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting take.
ReplyDeleteAt a certain level, I do agree with your review.