Book review: Five point Someone.

Now, here is a book that any person, regular reader or not, can pick up and read on without thoughts of food and water!

Chetan Bhagat's first and by far his most popular book, Five Point Someone(FPS) is an engaging, light-hearted take on 'what not to do at an IIT'!

The book starts off in the typical 'Chetan' style of making the story seem real. The story looks into the lives of 3 friends -Hari, Ryan and Alok and a thrilling series of events which they go through during their term in IIT. Ryan Oberoi is the rich,smart,rebellious, uber-cool guy while Alok is of the total nerdy sorts, thick spectacles and all. Hari, the narrator of the story is the average plump boy , a Ryan-wannabe.



The story kickstarts with the 3 of them being ragged, clothes-off on their first day at IIT! What follows is a strong friendship between the three, complete with their nutty ideas to 'screw the educational system and live for the moment'. Meanwhile, Hari develops a liking for Neha, Prof. Cherian's ( their ultra-strict HOD) daughter. With all this going, they realise that they are the lot who stand last in their class with 5 point something GPAs. The book goes on to elaborate on how they mess up big time(complete with Vodka and smoking grasson the campus roof) and end up realising that they were wrong all along. The move on from being 'five pointers' to five point someone, gaining an identity though not without unnecessary pains.

What you'll first observe about the book is the totally lively way in which the characters are dealt with. Although it is criticized of not having any literary value(as it is meant to be), it doesn't bore you a bit. Chetan's adjectives rock...'teeth ten years late in meeting an orthodontist'!! His language is laden with typical college lingo and humor. Being college-goers, we can easily relate to the thought process of these guys, though I must say, their adventures were far too fantasy-filled(a touch of bollywood!). But, on the whole, the book is a must-read. Its a reminder that 'shit happens' when we don't think and act straight. Whether you like reading or not, this book is a real stress-buster cause it has a familiarity by being based in India and speaks of hormones and highs.


My advice :Go read it. Half of India has read it !

Extra info. : The books is being made into a hindi movie!