Reviews, Mentions, Milk Crates
Dork first launched for sale, technically, when we cracked open a box at the Jaipur literary festival on 22nd January 2010. Since then we've done readings in Bangalore, a little signing in Delhi and then a nice big launch, with the lovely Gul Panag, in Mumbai. In between, reviewers have reviewed about it, bloggers have blogged about, tweeple have tweeted about it and other assorted feedback has been received.
Many readers have told me what they think. And I am quite relieved to say that except maybe one gentleman who writes for India Today, no one has hated the book so far. Some have loved it, many have liked it, some have written to say they expected more, others said they were let down.Thankfully the number for the latter, the sort of feedback I was most apprehensive about, have not been abundant.I am deeply grateful for everyone who gave me both positive and negative feedback. I am even more grateful for people who gave me pointers for book two. But I am most grateful for people who absolutely hated the book but are too polite to tell me. Authors thrive on you book-buying-yet-silent multitudes.What follows is a list of all reviews/significant mentions Dork has received so far. I have grouped them by nature of sentiment. For easy perusal and instant online order placing:Positive Mentions:
1. Asian Age:
OK. Here’s the thing, Diary. Dork is a witty, funny read with a flair for the absurd and ludicrous. And Vadukut is easily one of the best blog authors whose book is true to the character of the blog.
Vadukut’s wit is elegant, prose is pithy, irony is buffed, scepticism is healthy and observations are intuitive and he is an unpretentious writer. He spots the loser in the competitive world of consultants, bankers, management heroes, smart honchos. It’s a world beset with pressures of deliveries and social scaling, of undercutting and racing ahead for bigger bounties — be they BlackBerries, top positions or bigger bonuses.
The hero flails with this woolly headedness, his naiveté is alarming, his belief in his abilities unwavering despite his preposterous bumbling.
A laughathon, this book is.
2. Outlook:
Yet in Vadukut’s hands, Robin is a useful, even endearing, fool, not least in his bumbling way of snatching success from certain corporate disaster—mistaking his boss for a waiter, an inadvertent ball-bearing glut and drunken ramblings on the firm’s global voice-mail.
The book has a few rough edges: unlike the skilfully caricatured men, the women seem one-dimensional, though given the testosterone-fuelled world of consulting, this could be deliberate irony. And while the ending is hilarious, it’s a little too unrealistic. No matter, nothing else skewers corporate India’s assorted sillinesses so accurately. Or so funnily.
3. DNA India:
Well, sorry for giving the story away, but the book is full of such ‘Inspector Clouseau’ (of the The Pink Panther fame) moments. After being rejected by JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, Einstein takes up the offer from Dufresne Partners, though he tells himself that he had always wanted to join Dufresne.
And then starts Einstein’s “fumbling” journey through the corporate world, where he tries to be a management consultant and impress his batch mate and lust-object, Gouri Kalbag.Sidin Vadukut, who works for a business daily, and was once a management consultant himself, does a great job of exposing the hypocrisy of management consultants in particular, and organisations in general. Dork is a light, quick read and should appeal to MBAs and non-MBAs alike.
4. Jai Arjun Singh: (Uber maha book grandmaster reviewer)
Shameless plug: we both enjoyed the book hugely. The trope of the unreliable narrator is something I usually associate with serious literary fiction, but Sidin pulls it off very convincingly in a fast-paced comic narrative. His protagonist Robin Verghese is magnificently clueless about what’s really happening around him.
5. Tehelka:
If you are a fan of Aravind Adiga, rejoice. His new novel is set in Mumbai and (insiders say) reads better than The White Tiger. Having got Booker winners out of the way, let us turn to the Internet’s comic sensation and journalist Sidin Vadakut. His first work of fiction Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese is out. Robin is like Adrian Mole in his perfect combination of vanity, pathos and super silliness. Oh, and Vadakut tells the wonderful truth about MBAs.
(Conflict of interest alert: the next three pieces of positive feedback came from Mint colleagues.)
6. R. Sukumar:
The first feeling I had after finishing Livemint managing editor Sidin Vadukut’s enormously entertaining book Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin “Einstein” Varghese was one of overwhelming relief.He hadn’t used events at Mint, or its parent HT Media Ltd as source material for his book, instead relying on happenings at a consulting firm that shall not be named here. Since he has told me there will likely be a sequel, and then another—yup, trilogies are back in fashion—I am sure he will have enough opportunity to do this, though.
Dork is brilliant @sidin. Dont know if its funny but its the most insightful bitter sweet scary office culture book ive ever read. Must buy
(One recent exception that exudes sophistication, a delightfully droll sense of humour and holds a mirror to the perils and trappings of the rat race in urban India is my colleague Sidin Vadukut’s Dork.)
9. Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan (Blogger cum author)
OOOH. I FINALLY met Sidin Vadukut after many years of just about missing each other. I also read his book, Dork, which is really funny and you should read it too.
10. MBA Universe:
Truly speaking, you have to read the book to experience it. Our review can give just few pointers to this wonderful and ‘contemporary’ book, which can be undoubtedly called as a clear cut and straightforward representation of the post-MBA rat race in which thousands of MBAs get into every year.
Blogger Reader Mentions:
Sidin Vadukut’s “Dork”. Its funny, irreverent and paisa vasool.
2. My Experiences In The Funny World:
The book is about the man working in a consulting firm in India after passing through shining finest MBA school. It talks about the life styleof the people in the firm, their work culture and how the ideas implemented can go horribly wrong. It remained me of Hangovermovie where the people think backwards on what had happened. Same is written in a funny way when Robin wakes up after a hangoverto discover the horrible thing he has done,like waking in the plane, seeing a duck in his bathtub or the ultimate one getting up andseeing 250 odd messages in his voicemail.A good time pass for the week!
I pre ordered this book when @shreeni tweeted about it and I am glad I did that. This book is an excellent light, quick, and fun read with amazing sense of humor and lots of chuckles.
OK/Passable/Theek Thaak Mentions:
1. Telegraph:
The website is not opening. So can't quote from the piece. But basically they didn't sound like they liked it. But they didn't sound like they hated it. Somewhere in between. Maybe so that they can later say they loved it when I win the Booker. (My in-laws are already buying jewellery for Booker after-party.)
Maha Hatred Mention:
1. India Today:
Why all this should constitute humour is highly questionable since it's really impossible to find anything that is remotely funny. Which is a pity since there are situations in the narrative which offer fertile ground for wit and satire. Instead, we get what is basically a straight story about corporate life which, in today's age, is anything but amusing, much like Dork.
To which I say: FACEPALM!
Interview Which Got My Wife's Name Wrong, But In Which I Get To Pose Next To Milk Cartons:
The book Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin ‘Einstein' Varghese starts with a diary entry. In fact the whole book is very Bridget Jones-ish as the protagonist Robin ‘Einstein' Varghese keys in his daily happenings on his trusted computer. This office culture humour novel by Sidin Vadukut chronicles the career of Einstein from trainee to associate and in the process reveals the intimate thoughts of a ‘dorkish' entrant into a dog-eat-dog corporate environment. Excerpts from an interview over the telephone with this debut author.
Missing In Action
1. A large-ish feature in Man's World and Yuva which I can't seem to find online.
2. A mysterious recommendation in the Sunday edition of a newspaper in Udaipur, which was spotted by friend touristing through the city.
Twitter Sentiments
Click here for live Twitter Sentiment about the book. Not very accurate. And most of the negative buzz seems to be about availability. Maybe there are better tools to do this.
But I don't have time. I need to sleep. My feet are killing me.
And one final thing:
SOMEONE WANTS TO MAKE A MOVIE OF THE BOOK! EARLY STAGE DISCUSSIONS ARE ON. NOTHING FINAL. COULD GO EITHER WAY. BUT STILL.
More details later.
Expect Delhi Launch Party dates soon. Hitting the South in a bit.
(Will keep adding to this listing as I get time and reviews.)
