Author: Suman Dubey
Publisher: Rupa Publication
Are you an
ardent cricket fan?
The Fixer by Suman Dubey is the story of Neil Upadhyay, a cricketer with
almost 2 decades of service to the National team and one who had won the “ICC
Emerging Cricketer” at nineteen, expected to become the next Kapil Dev. Fast
forward to today, he is now wallowing in sorrow. Haunted by the failures of his
past, he aims for a resurrection in the glitzy new Indian Club Cricket League
(ICCL) by building the best team, but his billionaire cousin Akash uses the team
to execute a hostile takeover of the family business, raising the stakes very
high. Add to it the idea of matches getting fixes, and Neil finds him in an
impossible position. Would ambition power Neil and make him do whatever it
takes to win, or would he chose to play it safe on the backfoot?
The book has a very interesting and engaging storyline as Suman brings together the glitz and glamour of the league cricket in the book and adds the family drama and match fixing to make it spicier. The story is very well crafted with the characters evolving throughout the plot and the situations changing dynamically as it progresses. The book has been divided into 3 parts with multiple chapters in each part, which symbolize the path that the book takes. With extremely relevant chapter titles, it adds to the charm of reading the book. The plot is extremely well crafted and no where there is a point where the story ebbs. There is thorough research done and it shows in the story with some technical cricketing terms present. There is an element of mystery that unveils in the end and I am extremely happy with the way things unfolded. The climax of the book was quite interesting, and it closed the story with a wonderful clap.
Coming to the
characters, Neil’s arc development from a person wallowing in self-pity to a
confident person was something I liked. A person continually oppressed by his
family, his defiance towards the end signaled that the match fixing scandal
taught him a thing or two about life. The second character that I liked was
that of Akash and the ruthless businessperson streak in him, but yet maintaining
a softer side for his family. His development was quite striking, and I did not
peg it to be the way it actually turned out.
Overall, a
wonderful book and a definite recommendation.
The book scores
a 4.38/5 for me.
Grab the book here.
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