It's very complex
to write a novel with one main plot woven with many sub plots.
Because of this very complexity there are chances of the writer going
completely wrong. Despite a strong main story the novel can crumble
if the sub plots are not in sync with the main one. Somehow, this is
the case with Ravi Subramanian's The Bankster which looks good in the
beginning but gets too confusing trying to include or rather comment
on too many issues.
Greater Boston
Global Bank is a well known bank with high level of trust and
ambitious employees. But the bank's reputation is
threatened when a series of murders happen. A couple of
employees are killed to hide a secret that could threaten the whole
world. Karan Panjabi, a banker turned journalist steps in to
investigate these murders and finds out that the scam is bigger than
they thought.
The story begins with
the trading of blood diamond in Angola and soon drifts away to
banking in Mumbai. Nothing much happens even after 1/3rd of the book is over
and the author tends to get too descriptive about things as small as
functioning of an iPad. These unnecessary descriptions slow the
pace of the story. Jumping in and out of the main plot also causes
distraction and stops the flow.
Too many characters and not even a single well defined one is another
reason why the book fails to impress. In an attempt to tell too many
stories the writer forgets that connecting the readers to characters
is also an aspect of writing. A couple of key characters remain
neglected and you cringe when they turn out to be really important in
the end.
There is an effort
to squeeze in issues like illegal trading of blood diamond,
corruption in banking, money laundering, nuclear power and arms
dealing. Out of all the author does maximum justice to banking since
it's his home turf.
The end is treated like those investigative TV series where the whole case is solved sitting in a room and talking on the phone. As far as the suspense is concerned it's there and have been protected well and you really want to know what happens in the end only if too many stories don't hinder the flow.
The Bankster is a mish-mash of many issues. I think it's too early to call Ravi Subramanian 'John Grisham of banking'.
Book: The Bankster
Author: Ravi Subramanian
Publisher: Rupa
Price: Rs 250
Pages: 358
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I agree...just finished reading it...while the story was moving well in the begining ten chapters, it starts to slow down and gets boring... especially all the chapters involving Devikulam...Ravi should stick to his home turf which is banking...thats my take...I've read all of his books and by far his first book still is the better one...
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