Welcome to Advertising. Now Get Lost! by Omkar Sane

Welcome to Advertising. Now Get Lost! is a humorous take on the working of an advertising agency and the people who form an agency. The entire process of creating an ad, beginning with the brief, to the planning, design and finally the production is covered by the author. The interrelation between the various departments and employees are also mentioned. Agency terms like briefs, brainstorming, layout, freelancers, studio etc. are also covered.

The author takes a two way approach to describe a concept, first he provides a formal textbook description of the concept and quickly follows it up with some sarcasm and what it ‘really’ is. Every job title has a chapter for itself, consisting of a list of job responsibilities and requirements, types and attitudes of different types of employees in that field and dialogues of some typical interactions that are bound to happen during the course of work. The artwork is also praiseworthy, the cover page and the chapter headings are eye candy with a tinge of surrealism.

People in advertising will definitely enjoy this, there will be something or the other you can relate to with this book and irrespective of the outlandishness of the ideas or characters the author conjures up, it is quite easy to visualize them. All the stereotypes are mentioned and no quirks are spared. I was laughing from start to finish. To sum it up, a really funny take on the advertising industry, paints a complete albeit sarcastic picture of the world of ads. Recommended for anybody in, or interested in advertising.

Rating: 5/5

Comments and Suggestions, Anyone? This is my first nonfiction book review and it was a struggle. It feels so unrelated to reviewing fiction. I finished the book in a matter of hours but i kept on procrastinating the review, finally here it is. I would really like to know how good (or bad) my reviewing was, as I am hoping to learn from my mistakes and do a better review next time.

The Outsider (a.k.a The Stranger) by Albert Camus

The Outsider by Albert Camus is the story of Meursault, a bachelor in French Algiers. The story begins with Meursault being informed of his mother’s demise, how he attends the funeral, and contrary to the expected behaviour of expressing grief, he smokes, drinks coffee, and even falls asleep in front of the coffin. Meursault then gets into a relationship with a former colleague and helps his neighbor Raymond, to exact revenge on his Moorish girlfriend. The girl’s brother and his Arab friends get into a fight with Raymond at a beach when Meursault and Marie a beach house of Raymond’s friend. Meursault when taking a stroll on the beach, encounters the Arab and shoots him. The second part of the story consists of his arrest, trial, his term in prison and his sentence etc. This is where the story gets more philosophical, the way he comes in terms with his circumstances are enlightening and frightening to the reader.

The novel is divided into two parts, the first person narration of Meursault before and after the murder. The narration is simple and profound even though there is a lack of emotion. The book deals with topics like the meaning of life, individuality, the society perception of an individual and how the society has established a code of conduct it deems appropriate at every walk of life, atheism, justice, perspectives etc.

I picked up this book because of my interest in existential philosophy and also because of its high critical acclaim and it exceeded my already high expectations. This was a difficult review for me partly because I finished it in a matter of hours and was overwhelmed by its scope, and partly because of the nature of the themes the author tackles in the story. The first half was a cakewalk, the second half is where the protagonist engages himself in figuring out the meaning of his actions and its consequences and the circumstances surrounding it and how after fighting it, he finally accepts it. An author’s note at the end of the novel explains certain aspects of Meursault’s actions and what the author means to convey by it, thereby increasing the depth of meaning to the text by adding the author’s perspective. A simple story with a powerful philosophy behind it. Recommended reading for anyone because of how the author makes accessible some deep and complex concepts through a very elegant and lucid narration.

Rating: 5/5

Like this book? Tell me what you think of this book. Please share your opinion in comments below.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

“The fallen angel becomes a malignant devil.”

Frankenstein is the story of Victor Frankenstein, a natural science student, who creates a being (or fiend, as it is later identified) from various inanimate body parts . He soon becomes disillusioned and abandons his creation and tries to move on with his life. However, the being comes seeking him and changes his life forever.

The novel is divided into chapters, and impressively so. Every chapter feels complete and can to an extent stand by itself, also the uniformity of the structure of the chapters are praiseworthy. The story is in 1st person, the author has cleverly used letters to increase the depth of the story, add certain details easily, which might otherwise need lengthy explanations of their own. The letters also add a different dimension and perspective to the story. The portrayal of the protagonist is what makes this work stand out. All his hopes, fears and other emotions are beautifully expressed to the point that it is very easy to sympathise with Frankenstein. Reading further, especially about the life of the fiend (which in my opinion is one of the best parts of the book), puts the entire story in a completely different perspective. Also worth commenting is the realistic descriptions of the landscape, especially the Northern seas its vast icy desolation and bleakness and how it forms a perfect backdrop for the story. The novel tackles issues like justice, nature of good and evil, human nature with all its prejudices, moral hypocrisy and fears, ambition, isolation, vengeance, etc.

The novel left me melancholic and thoughtful. I expected the story to take a more sci-fi/horror path, but after reading this I feel this is perfect and had the story been altered in any other way it would not have turned out this good. The fact the author was only 19 years old at the time of writing this was astounding, her prowess in storytelling, her understanding of human psychology, and mastery over English language is beyond comparison.

Rating: 5/5

Let me know your thoughts on this books. Share your ideas and comments below.

Mistress by Anita Nair

The story of a Kathakali dancer, a practical husband and a idealistic wife and a travel writer set in the backdrop of Shornur, a small railway town in Kerala. The author breathes life into these characters by narrating the story through all these characters simultaneously. Shyam, a businessman, lives with his wife Radha, and her Uncle Koman. Chris, a writer, who wants to do a piece on Koman stays in Shyam’s Resort. Part adultery and part memoir. Kathakali is depicted in a vivid and realistic way, justice done to the colourful yet, at the same time, powerful art. The story is divided into chapters based on a kathakali theme. The life and culture of an idyllic township in Kerala is beautifully captured by the author. The book also deals with various themes like social and cultural differences of the East and the West and what happens when they meet, the creative world of art and artists, the business mindedness of many entrepreneurial men in India (I may be guilty of stereotyping here, but I’ve sure come across a few people like that), Individuality and Collectivism etc.

A well written book, dealing with a variety of topics, yet held together at the same time by a couple of unifying themes. An entertaining, educating and emotional read. Only the ending, in my opinion, fell short of my expectations. Highly recommended as the diversity of the characters will enable most of us to relate to the book on some level or the other.

Rating: 4/5

Have you read this book? What do you think of it? Feel free to share your thoughts.

 

Ahlan wa Sahlan

Ahlan wa Sahlan, My personal favourite amongst all welcome greetings i’ve heard, This phrase means something along the lines of ‘You are part of our family, may your path be easy’.

Welcome to the Ambiguous and Enigmatic blog of ambiguousandenigmatic. The true purpose of this blog is, you guessed is ambiguous and enigmatic. Okay, on a more serious note, I intent to use to blog to offer my perspective on topics ranging from music to philosophy to what not. This being my first blog post, I feel like a child on his first day of school, conscious  and apprehensive. “Being conscious is a torment”. The line from a song called Sensorium by Epica is playing on a loop in my head.

So come, read, share your thoughts and keep your fingers crossed as to where this blog will take itself and us to.