Around India In 80 Trains

In the opening pages of this novel Bhagat is at his computer and receives an email from a reader telling him that he is fed up of his life and about to commit suicide. Panicked and unable to stop thinking about the email, Bhagat tracks down the sender before it's too late and begs him to tell him his story – which he then turns into this book.

Set in Ahmedabad, Govind and his two friends set up a cricket shop in the grounds of a temple and start giving lessons to children, until one child is brought to their attention – a little Muslim boy named Ali with a god-given natural talent that he isn’t even aware of. Ali becomes their new project and the three pool all their resources to make sure that Ali gets the best opportunity to make it professional.

Bhagat’s exposure of the remaining pockets of deep racial and religious hypocrisy is nicely brought to light in his tale of three friends trying to better their lot despite the pressures of their elders to conform to mindless doctrine.

Although the ending is a little heavy, the pace and Bhagat’s agility when it comes to weaving new paths to his story make for another fast and enjoyable read. Perfect, in fact, for a hot and dusty journey between Jaisalmer and Bikaner which was where I both started and finished it in a couple of hours. And his books are nice and slim so they can slot into side pockets or get handed over to fellow passengers once you’re through.