london central

The title says it all. in God Save the Dork, protagonist Robin einstein Varghese finds himself doing pretty much what he did in the first book—coping, in his inimitable, humorous style, with the blunders and mishaps in both his personal and professional life. the setting in this sequel to Sidin Vadukut’s Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin‘Einstein’ Varghese is london. the iiM Ahmedabad alumnus, who works with a consulting firm, has moved from the big city and this time, he is part of a team working on a consulting project for lederman Bank.

like in the first one, in this book, too, we learn about Varghese’s adventures in the format of diary entries. there is plenty that you can identify with, for example, his irritation with the ￡25 ticket one has to buy to visit london landmarks such as Madame tussauds.

the narrative, in fact, is a string of goof-ups resulting from Varghese’s attempts at out-of-box thinking. But thanks to what he proudly refers to as his ability to think on his feet, he almost always manages to wriggle out of embarrassing situations.

there are failed attempts to delve into British culture, his ham-handed efforts to make friends with an east Asian intern at work, and his illegal downloads of Raveena tandon videos, which result in him being blackmailed by the it consultant of the hotel where he was staying. And then there is his habit of trying to get out of egg-in-the-face situations by screaming ‘food poisoning’. his demanding girlfriend, Gouri, though not in london, remains in the backdrop, appearing briefly to surprise him on his birthday only to find him in his room with the intern.

the digs on office culture, which you will find in plenty, are something to enjoy. there are many such instances—how he tries to look busy when he is actually not so, and how he manages to impress his boss about his knowledge of the work they do in Australia by taking a quick look at Wikipedia.

the book is also a satirical commentary on high-priced consultants and the financial world, in the manner in which Varghese tries to save the project (and hence his lucrative assignment) to which he is assigned when the bank threatens to shut it down. his boss accompanies him as he goes armed with an emergency plan suggested by the bank, even though it involves bribes.

to enjoy this book, you might have to make an effort to get past the first 30 pages, which drag somewhat. But it picks up pace and becomes enjoyable as the adventures of Varghese unfold. in fact, don’t read this book for its story, which is a bit disjointed, and which, like a hindi film, hurtles from a crisis to a predictably happy ending for the protagonist. Read it for the humorous glimpse that it gives into the life of a young, somewhat eccentric MBA, and into the modern corporate world. Read it for a few ready laughs.