Book Review: Perfect Imperfect by Ravi Bedi

Book: Perfect Imperfect

Author: Ravi Bedi

Publisher: Authors Ink Publications

Genre: Crime thriller with a few intimate goosebumps

In One Line: Money talks and makes the simplest want to do the wishful thinking of wanting to commit the ‘still-elusive-and-yet-to-be-discovered-by-the-finest-thugs’ crime.

Characterisation: Jimmy Bhasin, the floor manager at a jewellery shop; Samarth Jain, the handsome son of the owner of this shop who is a compulsive flirt; Farah Batliwala, the demure girlfriend of Jimmy who wishes to turn into a desirable siren – all three develop well as one progresses into the story. They are believable and mundane – that’s what makes these characters real. Even the side characters like the ex-army man who is introduced much later into the story, does make his presence be felt. Seemed like the author imagined himself for this role! One comment here though – the writer has written a first person account for both Jimmy and Farah. But Farah’s first person account begins much later in the tale. I would have personally liked some more spotlight on her version for sure.

Language: The author’s command over the language is a fine one. Usually when I’m reading a book, invariably I spot grammatical and spelling errors. I couldn’t catch one this time. Added to this, the flow of the story is a smooth one. Unnecessary superfluous words and jargons don’t mar the flow. But yes, some phrases like ‘two legs’ and ‘Central Jail’ is mentioned a tad too many times. I feel, that once a writer has driven home a point he need not harp about it over and over again. And if he still wishes to, then maybe new phrases can be used.

Plot Setting: ‎Sometimes you don’t really need to get into a vivid description of a place but rather mention some spots that one identifies with that place. Amer Fort and Zaveri Bazar bring out the areas where the story unfolds pretty nicely. Yes, otherwise, the story is more ‘indoor’ other than an occasional picnic in the forest area or a jog at garden. Would have liked to know which these places are.

Book Cover Art: I’m usually never in favour of a black and white cover, but this time, it suited the theme. I liked it. And the woman there with the diamonds was also apt – after all, Farah is the real ‘antihero-hero’ of the plot all the way.

How’s the Title: The title of the book was fine. No complaints! But, then, why do I feel that naming it ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ would have made it a little more appealing?

Is The Blurb Catchy: An interesting quote from the book to start a blurb is nice. But if that’s all that’s there then I doubt how many would pick it off the shelf. A reader would definitely want to know a bit more of the story. Instead of pictures of the author’s other published books, the blurb should have definitely been made a more appealing one.

Learning From The Story: “…when his basement started filling up with all the trash (read paintings), he decided to become a writer” – this is the line from the ‘About the Author’ section of the book. When I read it I flinched a bit. Maybe the author wanted the reader to smile, but self deprecating humour right at the onset when I’m reading him (maybe) for the first time doesn’t work. There are plenty of other ways to be humorous. This is one thing that I would never try.

Areas Of Improvement: Just some loopholes that I thought existed. Those who read the book, can get back to me on these.

• What ultimately happened to the jewellery? Why wasn’t this answered? Is this a gaping gap that the author missed filling up or has the ambiguity been deliberately left? I wish it had been answered.
• I leafed through the pages quickly because it captured my attention. But a part of me felt a little let down with the meek way that the ‘impostors’ were caught. I wish the ex-army man had been given a greater role to play. A more nail biting finish would have given this interesting story a few extra brownie points.
• OK, why is it alright to mention about Wasim Akram coming to a shop but only imaginary Bollywood star names given? Is there something that I’m not aware of?
• How can the lady be three months pregnant? I don’t think that much time had elapsed. Or am I missing some time calculation here?

What Is ‘Said By Not Saying’: The mind of a scheming person will never change. It might remain dormant for a while, but it will raise it’s ugly head ultimately. Deception is a habit that’s harder than smoking to give up on.

My Reaction When I Finally Closed The Book:    

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