The 3 Mistakes of My Life - A Reader's Opinion

Chetan Bhagat is back, with his newest offering, The 3 Mistakes of My Life. The sub-title states that it's a story about "business, religion, and politics". It's a potent blend for any storyteller, and Bhagat is a really good one.

Let's establish a few facts (or rather, my opinions) first. Chetan Bhagat isn't a good writer. He is, in my opinion, just about the worst bestselling writer ever. His style is a bit flat and colloquial, sometimes even grammatically incorrect. His characterisation is hit-or-miss, sometimes done brilliantly, as in Five Point Someone, but at others, not so much. His dialogues could be better, although one must appreciate that since his characters probably don't speak English, but Hindi or Gujarati (as in his new book), it is difficult to strike a balance between keeping the Indian tone of the characters' speech while at the same time, making it seem as though they're really speaking English.

All these things don't matter, in the final analysis. Bhagat's strength is storytelling, and when he's in form, the words don't really register. All that matters is the story. It grabs the reader by the nose and pulls him or her through Chetan Bhagat's world. The fact is, I didn't even notice most of the literary failings in Five Point Someone the first time I read it. The story resonated with me, as it has with countless other Indians my age.

Now for Bhagat's newest book. It's a story about Govind, Omi and Ishaan, three friends in Ahmedabad. Govind wants to be a businessman, a dream that just about every Gujarati holds in his or her heart. Omi and Ishaan are his cricket-crazy friends. The book takes us through their struggles against fate and history-the Bhuj earthquake, the India-Australia Test series in 2001, 9/11, and the post-Godhra riots-and Govind's own moral struggles, in business and love. The reasons for many of India's problems is also touched upon; it's a clarion call for entrepreneurship, endeavour and initiative. All in all, a cracking story, told by a storyteller of great conviction. The trouble is, I really can't talk much about the storyline without giving away more than what is said on the book's back cover.

The bad news now. It's really not as good as Bhagat's previous two books. Although his writing has improved with each book, it still isn't that good. Apart from this, where he really fails in this book is his development of the characters. Sometimes it's hard to understand what motivates certain characters to act as they do-Omi for example. And finally, Chetan Bhagat's use of the Prologue as a means to explain how he came by this story is starting to get really irritating. It was completely unncessary in One Night @ the Call Centre (probably not true either) and not really needed here. I, for one, would not at all have minded if Bhagat had simply launched into the story from Chapter 1. The background could be explained in an afterword.

The book is worth a read; a good way to spend your vacations.