Feb 02, 2008 09:30 PM
8249 Views
(Updated Feb 03, 2008 03:33 PM)
Got a chance to read this novel for 2nd time recently & here's my take.
Chetan Bhagat's novel takes place on Thanksgiving at a technical support call center in Gurgaon for an American appliance company. A call center. Six co-workers. Nine hours. This is the setting for One Night @ Call Center.
Business is on the decline at Connections. Call volumes are low, and the team's boss, who takes credit for his employees' work, is threatening job cuts.
The characters are Shyam, Varun, Esha, Priyanka, Radhika and a Military Uncle. It’s a story of their pain, sorrows, ambitions, trauma and the happiness they share together.
Twenty six year old narrator Shyam(Sam) as he is known to his callers, has just broken up with his girlfriend and is feeling low.
Varun Malhotra(Victor Mell) is Shyam’s friend. Very smart and loves speed, which is why his friends call him ‘Vroom’. Varun hates the call center and his Americans employers.
Esha Singh, (Eliza Singer) is the pretty face of the group. An aspiring model, who ran away from home and took up a job at the call center so that she could achieve her dreams. She works as a call center agent by night and meets model coordinators in the day.
Radhika Jha, (Regina Jones) is the only married one in the group. Trying to manage the household activities and her job, Radhika’s main aim in life is to earn money and settle down on one hand, & manage her mother-in-law on the other. She loved her husband deeply until she found out about her husband’s affair.
Priyanka is the heroine of the novel & Shyam’s ex-girlfriend. Priyanka’s mom wants her to marry an NRI.
Military uncle is the oldest of the lot and the odd man out. A family feud forces his to stay alone.
Shefali and Mr.Bakshi have special appearances.
When the phone lines go down, they decide to take a break from the call center and steal one of the company's cab to drive to the nightclub "Bed, " where they receive a phone call that changes all of their lives.
Bhagat’s writing is simple and clear. He writes in a comfortably natural style, without complicated words, which keeps the narration smooth & easy to follow.
His writing is also loaded with nice humor, esp. one-liners which are just awesome.
The realistic characters and easy language undoubtedly make the novel interesting.
It shows the life of BPO's in India, though this one looks like a mid sized coz big guns have an excellent work culture.
On the whole, I believe One Night@ the Call Center is fab! If u havent read till date, go 4 it.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Cheers!
Gurpreet.
