Book Review: BlowFish by Siddharth Tripathi


Author: Siddharth Tripathi

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Genre: Fiction


clipart-bars-dividers-1Blurb (as on Goodreads):

Blowfish is a fast, funny and irreverent take on the overhyped pursuit of passion in a country where flashy cars and posh bungalows remain the only lasting symbols of success and happiness.
Mukund and Chaddha spend their days comfortably ensconced in their cushy jobs, wallowing in regrets that make for good conversation. Mukund, in a fit of bravado. resigns to pursue his “calling”; the only hitch is that he doesn’t know what it is yet! Chaddha is fired and seeks solace in shooting pigeons at point-blank range. 
Mukund’s life spirals out of control when Colonel Harpal Singh, the housing society secretary, finds in him a reflection of his estranged son. Harpal places Mukund under “house arrest”, puts him on trial in a kangaroo court and coerces him to fight a ludicrous duel. 
Constantly under threat, and running out of time and money, Mukund is about to go back to being a man with bad dandruff, a small car and even smaller dreams, when he meets Suman, a girl who, like him, is trying to figure out what life is all about.Untitled - CopyThe typical lives of most people, especially people who wanna pursue their ‘calling’, because the world cares more about your job and your life than you ever did. Blowfish is a witty take on the double standards of the society and the irony of certain everyday situations.

Imagine you are frustrated because you finally got a job but you don’t know what are you doing. Your Co-workers infuriate you further because they are equally clueless. SO you do what every other person would do. You quit and you try to pursue your calling. You dream about being independent, and famous and you plan your world around it. Then you sleep off. The next morning doesn’t look like what you pictured and to make it worse, you have to deal with your friend’s problems. But the problem just doesn’t stop there. Everyone you meet takes you to a completely different level of frustration because people just won’t stop judging you.

Mukund is just another guy who quits his job with a fool-proof plan, his plan being writing (his childhood hobby). But what he manages instead is to land himself in situations that are both awkward and hilarious. He has his partners in crime, his roommate- Rohit Chhadha and his friend Sampu. Together they come up with the most unfortunate plans in response to some of the most common, crazy situations they face. There’s a girl too- Suman, who is equally hopeless but talks sense (Thank God!) Suman is the savior because she makes an appearance whenever Mukund needs advice.

With unexpected twists and turns, the plot manages to move forward. In the process, it highlights a lot of problems that persist in our society. A few hilarious ones are-

  • Success= Bunglow+Car
  • Pervert= Porn+ alcohol+condoms in your room
  • Inappropriate dressing= Not fit to stay in the society
  • Not staying with you parent= Not being responsible
  • Quitting job= worthless

There’s humor luring at every corner. The humor here is the magic element- at times it gets monotonous and at other times, it saves the day. Blowfish is an interesting read, and refreshing to some extent because no one writes about hopelessness unless it’s a biography. Micro-analysing the bad times in life, and giving out the raw, brutal truth of the society we all are a part of.ratings5-heart-rating

Purchase Links:                                 | Amazon Paperback |


Will this make it to your TBR?


4 thoughts on “Book Review: BlowFish by Siddharth Tripathi

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