Author: Zarreen Khan
Publisher: HarperCollins India
I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
What happens when you join a posh school as a teacher?
Ambika S. thinks being a teacher at Champion Valley School is tough until
she meets Riddhi, Giselle, Pareeta, Kainaz and Jia-the ridiculously demanding,
impatient and unreasonable mums of her young students! From the boardroom to
the classroom where they want their kids to shine, these women mean business. Fed
up with the mums' behavior, and caught in her own charade of trying to fit in,
Ambika accidentally sets off a chain of events that shocks the mums and
threatens to unravel explosive secrets. Will Ambika survive this onslaught of
the massive mummy egos? Will the truth set Ambika free or make her pay a
greater price? Follow the lives of the Ambika and the fabulous mums as they
navigate the complicated world of parenting, fragile friendships, and hard
truths. With wit and warmth, this book reminds us that behind every facade lies
a story waiting to be understood.
The book is a satirical take on how schooling has evolved in the current times, specially in posh areas, as well as a social commentary on how perception has come to the forefront of how we evaluate people based on limited interactions with them. The 5 mums in the school represent different sections of the society as well as each of them have a complex story that gets explored as the book moves ahead. Ambika as a protagonist is the lens which is pointed at these 5 women and is the social lens by which we judge people by their looks or their behavior without knowing their backgrounds. On the other hand, as we navigate through the world of each of these women, we come to realise that sometimes, it is better to let first impressions not be last impressions. The writing of the book is crisp and moves at a good pace, so that you are not bored. The book is also not preachy, but sends the intended message in a nice manner. Another aspect of the book that I loved was the school part of it and how Zarreen has taken the current schooling system and highlighted the state of affairs that are currently prevalent, and the dig on them is quite amazing to read. The climax was quite fun and the reveal towards the end (both of them) were a delight to read.
The character development in the book is detailed, and the author peels
the story of each character slowly and steadily so that you are invested in the
story as well as relevance to the central plot is maintained throughout. I
loved how the character arc of Ambika is explored, and how there are hints here
and there about the climax, but there is nothing conclusive till the very end. The
detailing in the characters of the 5 mums and how it is explored was quite fun
to read, specially with the summaries in the beginning. As the stories are told
through each person’s perspective, it was quite fun to see how each person was perceiving
the situation even while sitting together.
Overall, this was a fun book to read, and a definite recommendation from
me. The book scores a 4.5/5 from me.
Get a copy of the book from your nearest bookstore or Amazon India.
No comments:
Post a Comment