If God Was A Banker by Ravi Subramanian was one such book till date which I have read in one sitting. Don’t over expect from this my sentence. There is no mindboggling thrill or suspense in the book which kept me so hooked. It is the gripping and pacy narrative which made the book unputdownable.
The title of the book suggest some divinely presence in the book. But there is nothing like that. I think it is a kind of spoiler of the book. In fact why the book has been titled so, is something I’m yet to comprehend.
The book is a saga about a New York Bank which starts its operation in India. It is the story of two brilliant guys, Swami and Sundeep, who joins this bank and gives a great headstart to the bank, which any organization could dream off.
Both Swami and Sundeep were great achievers and has worked at the highest echelons of the company. But throughout the book, the author has drawn parallels between Swami and Sundeep means to achieve success. Sundeep used every crooked methods to achieve his goals, while Swami was a perfect example of integrity and humility. But both of them were star performers but their difference in attitude and work style leads them to different destination.
The book gives an impression that it is based on real life characters but it is hard to say to what extent it is true. Swami’s character is a perfect saint to be real. Natasha, wife of Sundeep takes all the misdeeds and cheating of Sundeep in strides which is just too difficult to digest.
At some places the book was hard to believe. Like for example, there is this small vendor Ram Naresh in Kolkata who has connection at the top level of the bank at the main head quarters and has become a king maker in the organization with just a phone call. Quite difficult to believe. How this one person got so much power? Never clearly explained in the book.
Also author forgot to explain how Suneel Dutt, the new zonal head, come to know of Natasha and Sandeep’s episode in the toilet. Author left that on readers to imagine.
The book gives a peek into the banking industry and how things are manipulated in the corporate organization. Banks puts customers interest at stake to meet their monthly targets, to win contest and incentives. No one cares about the moral values as long as targets at met. Women compromises willingly or unwillingly with their seniors for better prospects.
Ravi is brilliant in the characterization. Each and every character, how small its presence in the plot, has find ample space in the story. And there are not just five or six, but there many characters. Each one has their own story to tell and simultaneously contributing to the main plot. The author has handled all the characters with dexterity which is also one reason which makes the narrative griping and interesting.
Narration of the book keep swinging from past to present. I thought it was unnecessary. There was no real action taking place in present. But it is just to create a ambiance of suspense that writer adopted to this style of writing which was successful in keeping the readers hooked.
If God Was A Banker is the first book in the Banker series by Ravi Subramanian. The series is well hyped to be a banking thriller. Well I haven’t notice any thriller part in the this book. I can’t say anything about the other two books in the series as I’m yet to read them. But certainly there is no thriller in this book. May be it is just the foundation to get the readers accustomed to the banking scenario.
The Verdict
It is a good one time read. Written in very simple language no fancy words or management jargon. But do not expect too much from this book.
