Book Review

Author: Sam Mukherjee
Publisher: Rupa
Language: English
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 287
ISBN 10 – 8129117915
ISBN 13 – 978-8129117915

It’s a story of Chinmoy Bose, an adolescent boy who is dedicated to his friends and family. Living in a middle-class neighbourhood in South Kolkata, his life changes when his parents land upon an unexpected win at a lottery of Rs 2 lakh. And with the win he is uprooted from his beloved neighbourhood, where life seemed perfect.

His parents, with an overnight ambition for the future of their children and the need to have the right connections, arrive at Vanilla Apartments.

Their new residence, a far cry from their dilapidated rented flat on Raja Basanta Roy Road, is a ten-storeyed building painted milk white (resembling a massive block of vanilla ice cream) with the parapets of the colour of green chillies.

At Vanilla Apartments, Chinmoy Bose meets the best friends of his life – Kirit, Robin, Signal, and Pluto. Here he acquires the nickname, Tiger. He enjoys his newfound existence and every single day of his life with his four spirited friends. The Apartments houses misfits and wannabes, islands and archipelagos, some violent egos, alcoholics, obnoxious children, vamps, and whores too. All of them are like chopped green chillies adding spice to otherwise vanilla ice cream like plain lives.

At the high-rise there is never a dull day for Tiger. He and his friends begin a journey to trap a ghost in a commode, witness corruption by keepers of the law, and get involved in a controversy that could drop them from public grace. He runs with a naked friend on the streets of Kolkata to regain lost love, has an inconsiderate brother obsessed with the American dream and he himself nurtures the dream of leaving India for the perceived riches on American shores.

During his odyssey, Tiger counters tales of chicanery and honesty, heartbreak and hope. Interesting characters with a crisp moving plot make the book a fascinating read. The book will allure both young and old as it hints at the middle class ideals and kindle the sentiments of the children as well as the parents. At the same time, it depicts the confused and fun-loving side of the youth.

Although the book offers nothing considerably above average and is best suited for a quick time pass with its easy storytelling, it finely shows the transition of middle class Indians who want to rise out of their humble life that is struggling due to economic liberalisation.