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Friday, March 5, 2010

Devil in Pinstripes

Author: Ravi Subramanian
Publisher: Rupa and Company
Pages: 279
Price: Rs 195
Reviewed by Eisha Sarkar
Posted on Mumbai Mirror on Monday, March 08, 2010 at 07:39:08 PM

The devil is back! Only this time, Prada has made way for pinstripes. With a title like that, this book's sure to grab eyeballs. Banker-author Ravi Subramanian knows what sells. So after the self-help management guide, I Bought the Monk's Ferrari, he churns up another corporate tale of ambition, greed, politics and relationships on the lines of his debut novel, If God was a Banker. The boardroom's new, the storyline old. But who's complaining?

This time, the author traces the life of another starry-eyed MBA from IIM Bangalore. Awed by a flamboyant pitch made by Aditya Bhatnagar, Amit Sharma joins the New York International Bank (NYB) in Mumbai. He soon finds out that there is more to retail banking than profits and Powerpoint presentations. As Amit grows from strength to strength under Aditya's tutelage, he encounters his adversary, Gowri Shankar - the man who wreaks havoc in both his personal and professional lives.

Amit's biotechnologist-cum-banker wife Chanda is ecstatic when through a quirk of fate both Amit and she end up working in the same office. But as Amit grows in his stature in Gowri's domain, life becomes increasingly difficult for Chanda. For every battle he wins against Gowri, Amit finds he's gone a step farther away from Chanda. A shaky marriage, a bitter rival and boardroom politics, force Amit to look for a career outside the NYB. But with an appointment letter, he also finds a non-bailable arrest warrant in his hands.

Unravelling this story of corporate fraud, corporate in-house power struggles and the dirty world of office politics, Subramanian's Devil in Pinstripes is not just a paperback. It is an example of how to deal with these issues that plague the corporate world. It reinforces the belief that corruption comes from the top.

Unlike If God was a Banker, the lines between the good guys and the bad guys are blurred here. The writer Subramanian scores with his real-life characterisation. The banker Subramanian knows well how to weave in the intricacies of retail banking into a simple storyline. And the marketeer in him keeps plugging If God was a Banker. The author whips up everything to keep the reader interested. It pays off. There is never a dull moment in these 279 pages. That's reason enough why it should be on your shelf.

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