The perennial Internet shopper that I am, I now rue my decision to order Chetan Bhagat's 'One Night at the Call Center'. The book is an utter rehash of another hot idea by a writer whom I rate high as one who knows how to milk hot ideas. The first book on the Indian teenage fetish of IIT (Five Point Someone) won rave review from everyone, apart from me, but then I am not a book critic anyways. To me, Chetan at best, is a mediocre writer, who, though is blessed with an uncanny ability of making books out of fads.
ON@TCC (thats the acronym - for better marketing, you see) is an unputupable book. The story is a disappointment and is good fodder, at best, for a teeny-bopper soap for the idiot box. But Chetan is again bang on in exploiting a number of hot concepts - Call Centre, Qualises, casting couches, etc etc.- and the book is excelent fodder for anyone looking for cheap thrills.
For Chetan's next book, may I suggest some new story ideas? How about the world of news channels? Sting operations? Casting couches in news channels, fashion world and politics? Gay designers and male casting couches? IIMs? IIPM? Nah, I am just thinking beyond the IIMs...