Resident Dormitus - Vikas Rathi

                                      
About the Author : Vikas Rathi (32) is a Chartered accountant by profession and has done his Mba from IIM Bangalore. He was born and bought up in a middle class family in Jaipur. Having Drifted happily through life in cities like Mumbai, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, he is currently working in Procter and Gamble in Singapore. During his spare time , Vikas likes to read, write, travel etc. Having Drifted happily through life in cities like Mumbai, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. He has random obsessions like dropping one-liners, missing deadlines, and an unhealthy attachment to his slippers.

The Plot : The Protagonist Achet takes us through the novel, weaving around the lives of his friends – Dev , Arjuna , Alex and Bala. The main element of this story is about the High end Corporate life that many of us dream about , and the mad rush behind acquiring the same.

Dev’s character is that of an individual who has seen many failures, however he strives towards working on them and gets back on his feet. 

Arjuna’s character revolves mainly around a person who has certain rules (which are easy to follow), stays in his limit, and someone who is strongly attached to the cause of Tamilians in Sri Lanka, and after his Dad’s demise, owing to a similar cause , he vows to dedicate his life for the same.



 

Alex, is the more thoughtful and serious about life character, who knows where exactly he wants his life to be headed. 

Bala, on the other hand, is someone, who has had her share of up’s and downs, bad relations, bad reputation, and dreams of wanting to settle down with a “nice guy”.

Achet, with an average personality ceases to excel above his peers from an early age, however in a way having forgotten his true self, he takes life as it comes, journeys from India, to Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, gets things working for him, some way or the other, and gets a permanent position in the company.

The novel is more about Self realization, and delves deeper into the human psyche. My initial thought after having read the excerpt was something dark, and twisted, it was a little disappointing,(owing to my fascination with twisted tales) however, I love the way Vikas Rathi has narrated the story. The incidents, relations, friendship, certain situations, are such that one could relate to easily.

If you are wondering as to why the name “Resident Dormitus”, well the author tries to throw in a lot of insights , thoughts that would make you want to sit up and think. In the book , though its in memory of Dev Das, but im sure the author meant for it to serve a higher purpose than just a memory.

I love a particular part of this book , where Alex and the rest have  a discussion of Lust v/s Love, wherein the following words had me going awwwww …..

“I think Love is at best just a choice. Love doesn’t catch you unaware. You make a choice to love someone. Its neither true nor a compromise; it’s a strong thread or connection with another person that makes you earth bound, by adding its own gravity…."

To read the entire bit, I’ll surely recommend you to get a copy of the same, it’s worth a read.

Style of writing: His writing style for me is smooth and suave. Certain dialogues are witty, some make you want to think about them, some make you smile, and some brings back memories.

The book is fast paced, with an interesting plot, and characters, who would remind you of someone in your life.

My Rating : Resident Dormitus is a onetime read, it will keep you engrossed till the last word.

I would give it an 8/10.

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