Book Review - The Fishbowl

Name: The Fishbowl 
Author: Vivek Kumar
Genre: Young Adult Fiction

My Ratings: 4 buzzes out of 5.

(SPOILER ALERT: LOW)

First, huge thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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BLURB

Remembering childhood as it used to be before it was devoured by reality, this book straddles the twin worlds - of an imaginative little boy and the boarding school realities - in a rural Indian town. A heartfelt narration of teenage tales, of rebellion and romance, of friendship and alienation, 'The Fishbowl' recreates a surrealistic but real world. And if you look close enough, you will find a reflection of yourself in it, for no man or woman is untouched by the passage of time and its after-effect on childhood memories. 

MY REVIEW

Let's start the review with the single greatest thing I liked about the book, i.e., The LANGUAGE. It's wonderful and very efficient (further discussed below). I also loved the construction of the book which is just dividing the book into twelve parts further subdivided into smaller chapters each starting with a new story. 

The book starts with the author arriving at the boarding school and thus mentally preparing himself for what is to come, understanding how it works, making new friends, etc. The book is inspired by the year spent in boarding school by the author. Though the events aren't accurate but still presents some form of reality. 

Coming back to the language, I can't praise enough the author for the awesome writing style used in the book. It's pretty unique like the theme of the book. The figure of speech is abundantly used which sometimes makes it harder to understand but you love it when you do. 

Making it much more personal is the use of first-person writing which makes it a story we would be into even if we haven't experienced it ourselves. 

As already mentioned above, every chapter is a different story, a new beginning like episodes of different events. I loved this structure but at the same time didn't relish one or two of those episodes. 

Talking about the characters, they are hard to define. I think it's a plot-driven book. You don't like them very much at the same time don't dislike them either. They are just normal people. You sympathise and pity them at times but do not like them at other times.

All in all, if you are someone who loves to read good and quality language or want to read some school-related stories or would like to understand the concept of 'Fishbowl', then this book is sure to please you. 

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