Book Review: Mango People In Banana Republic by Vishak Shakti

Book Title: Mango People In Banana Republic
Author: Vishak Shakti
Format: Paper Back
Total Number of Pages: 249
Language: English
Publisher: The Writer Place
Publishing Date: 2018
ISBN-10: 9387282171
ISBN-13: 9789387282179

Ravi Bhalerao is a top of the rung business strategy consultant struggling with two disquiets in life – a festering career disillusionment and a festering wound in his posterior. Stung by an unfair performance appraisal, he pulls off an outrageous stunt at his workplace, drops off the urban map and reaches his ancestral land, a village in drought-prone Vidarbha. There he encounters India in its elemental form. Convinced that his destiny is somehow entwined with that of his country, he sets off on a truth-seeking mission. On that mission, he finds love, revolution and most importantly, a redemption for the disquiet in his rear.

Anand is a former physicist on a spiritual quest through esoteric India. He realizes that the path to realization is beset on all sides by gurus, their cults and their boundless quirks. As he hops from one ashram to the other, he grows convinced that liberation does not come with a user manual in a neat little box.

Wrapped in light-hearted, almost tongue-in-cheek prose, Mango People In Banana Republic is a tale of an Indian’s search for personal identity, against the backdrop of a country divided along fault lines of countless social identities. Teeming with a cast of characters and ideas that encapsulate modern India, the tale ascends from the gross to the sublime, much like the Kundalini powers some aspire to acquire. With a steady pace, and gentle mocking humour, this book is an absorbing read and a laugh.

My Take

I found this title interesting and it drew my attention instantly into this book. I must say. It certainly made me want to read it as soon as possible. The title can’t be more apt than this to plot. Cover is also nice it’s a different one i have seen recently. It’s always great to read a book when it not only has an interesting cover and title but a great story as well.

The story is divided into seven chapters based on the seven Chakras of the human body which are the Root Chakra, the Sacral Chakra, the Solar Plexus Chakra, the Heart Chakra, the Throat Chakra, the Third Eye Chakra and the Crown chakra. Each chakra will revolves around two main protagonist of the story Ravi And Anand and live revolves around them.

Language is simple and lucid to read and connect with the story and being engaged throughout the story. All in all, a good easy book to read, a book which won’t require the use of a dictionary, a book which even an amateur reader would love to get indulged in.

The plot is unique; the storyline is gripping as well as intriguing and the narrative takes the story forward flawlessly. The style of narration and the pace are perfect. The author has balanced emotions and humor in the story throughout.

The characters be they the protagonists or the supporting souls, are well articulated, thus making it easy for the reader to relate to them, their views, their actions and reactions.

An engrossing read that’s capable of keeping the reader on edge till the very end. Looking forward to read more to works by the author.

Overall Ratings-4/5 Stars

About The Author

Vishak Shakti is a writer by compulsion. He writes to vent, to purge, to indulge, and sometimes just for the heck of it. He has written for publications such as MSN India, The Hindu, and Clean Bowled. He thinks that a good book has three essential ingredients – entertainment, artistry and relevance, in that order. He has a liking for literary thrillers, philosofiction, and compelling non-fiction. He has a peculiar liking for writers with irreverent voices. He was a film buff for a long time until eventually getting swept off by the golden age of television. Cricket is his guilty pleasure, both Tests and T20s, but hardly anything in between. He is a Tech. Product Manager in his day job and lives in Bengaluru.

Grab the book here-Amazon.in