The Celebrity CEO-Tomson Robert

Book: The Celebrity CEO
Author: Tomson Robert
Publisher: NuVoice Press

What would you do if you had the power and the means to change people’s lives?

Just a year ago, I was on top of the world. I was the CEO of Neo, my revolutionary tech-based startup in Dubai. I was the coveted Speaker for all major corporate conferences, and a powerful member of the investor and Business communities. I could transform the fate of startups with just one tweet. But that one fateful day changed it all. .. I wake to find myself in a hospital bed in Goa, kept in Police custody. But I have no recollection of how and why I ended up here! Fired from my own company, hated by my own employees, cut-off by the Business community - I am reduced to just another meme on social media. Does life offer second chances? I am Ariyan, known as 'The Celebrity CEO.'

The Celebrity CEO is an interesting book that explores the idea of self-identity and how in the pursuit of success, our relationships have become transactional. The book explores the life of Ariyan, a celebrated CEO of a startup developing a smart glass technology in Dubai. Ariyan had everything someone could wish for-a successful career, lavish life, a partner-until it all comes crashing down one day due to his choices. Tomson has used the character of Ariyan to highlight the issues that have become a part of our lives as we live in this continuous race to accumulate wealth and fame, sometimes at the cost of our health and our relationships. The book has been written akin to a fable where you relate to the protagonist and the end goal is to take away a message from the story. The book is a comfortable read and Tomson has made sure that the message which he wants to put across is not preachy, rather woven into the plot to bring it out slowly. While the first part is about Ariyan and his celebrity status, I was quite impressed by the way the second half of the book is planned. The evolution of the story becomes evident in the conversations Ariyan has with the other characters in the story. The multiple call backs to conversations which seemed trivial in the first half suddenly make sense in hindsight. The climax, however, was a wonderful piece of plotting, which is something the reader would definitely not be able to guess, considering its link with the initial chapters of the book.

Ariyan as a character seems quite relatable because we have seen the concept of success change in the recent times with social media playing a crucial role in propelling successful businesspeople to the level of celebrities. I liked how Tomson has used the character of Vijay to throw light on the stress at workplace which has become a major issue today with this ever-connected world. Neha’s character had a small part in the story, but again was wonderfully penned to highlight the impact of chasing professional success on one’s personal life.

Overall, this is a book I would definitely recommend you to read as it highlights a major issue of motivation today. The book deals with some important real-world-issues and talks about prioritizing what is important in life. The book scores a 4.48/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book from your nearest bookstore or on Amazon India.