• Title – Jack is Back in Corporate Carnival
• Author – P.G. Bhaskar
• Publisher – Harper Collins Publishers India
• Genre – Fiction
• Pages – 305
• ISBN – 978-93-5029-351-5
• Price – 150 INR

Synopsis: When a former colleague offers Jack Patel (Jai) and his best friend Kitch a job with a conservative British bank in Dubai, Jack has no qualms about taking it up. Solidity and stability are just what he is looking for.

But changes are afoot at the bank. Power struggles within a complex and changing hierarchy ensure a series of problems for young Jack. And who would have thought that the football World Cup would turn things topsy-turvy for the bank. Jack escapes this madness as he flies from Dubai to Africa to Chennai, hopping from one hilarious situation to the next.

Review: The first few things that caught my eye as I laid my hands on the book are its bright yellow cover, a man para-gliding right next to Burj Khalifa in red (to the right hand side) and a bold sticker pronouncing the book as the ‘Funniest book of the year’. While the yellow color was the stepping stone of my liking for the book’s cover the red para-gliding icon added to my liking for the time spent in creating an impression, the image is printed on each page to the right hand side, gradually descending as the story progresses and reaches the bottom of the page at the last page.

Besides being called the funniest book of the year( by the publishers) did raise my expectations from the book immensely. This book is the second in the series, following Jack Patel’s Dubai Dreams which I haven’t read. Though the good news is, the story outlines the major events from the first book in its first chapter and in no time you’ll realize the book has no bearing to the first book as far understanding the plot goes. Though the word ‘Corporate’ is part of the title, the story is more about the life and happenings in the life of Jack Patel, his colleagues and their families.

It is a humorous collection of Jack’s life as an employee of the Adrian Abbot Bank and all that happens during his international travels for business and sometimes for personal reasons. He rescues Kitch’s wife from a ghost, faces football quiz that could make or break his career, masters the nuances of zulu pronunciation, is almost run down by an African elephant, encounters pirates (well almost), is forced to choose between a client’s two wives and even helps Kitch’s baby brother find love of his life in a rollicking roller-coaster ride.

The simplest and the most unimaginable events have been described with utter clarity, generously spiced with delightful, fun phrases. The book made me have some hearty laughs and also had me smiling even without realizing on many occasions, that not just my family but even Pari got curious to have a peek in the book to find out what had been keeping me amused. The book has a generous dose of tongue-in-cheek humor and smart observations.

The book is entertaining with simple language. A light read that has no dull moment, though I personally found the ending a lit bit hasty and unnatural. But, then fiction writing gives the author the liberty to let his imagination go wild and sometimes fly far from what happens in the real world.

A good read that did wonders for my mood especially when I was desperately looking for something to make me smile. This book felt like a morning breeze refreshingly clean and lighting up my spirits as the story unfolds.

About the Author: P.G.Bhasker is a banker, a chartered accountant who left India for Dubai in 1992, where he now lives with his wife & a teenage son. Bhaskar is one of the modern world’s thinkers and philosophers who enjoys thinking deeply about many happenings in day-to-day life, besides indulging in writing books.

Rating: 3.75/5