Their performance is not up to the mark and they pass, somehow, with a lowe CGPA. They fail to understand the system of IIT and settled for a bad start. There are three hostel mates Alok, Hari and Ryan who are more interested in cracking jokes rather than actively participating in the lectures. He further brings the plot of the novel close to his past by settling the storyline in IIT Delhi campus, his own alma mater. This is good in one way and in another context, limiting his imagination because he can only write what he has been through – so, the strength and the weakness run hand in hand. Chetan could not think of any other thing rather than putting his own experiences at stake for his continuing debut in Indian English fiction writing.

It is worth noticing that it is a common conundrum among the Indian novelists that they seek to find, in their plots, a resemblance with their upbringing, education or emotional anxieties. This is the story of three friends who are pursuing engineering from one of the prestigious institutes of India, IIT. Unlike his other publications like Half Girlfriend and One Indian Girl, this novel is almost flawless.

And this is why leading book review websites in India have all praised the book. As its subtitle suggests apparently, the author has provided a different set of the notion that works as a guideline on what not to do at IITs. The author has presented vivid colours of ambitious students’ aspirations and campus life. Only about this novel I can say with conviction that young readers can have a go without thinking too much. Though this novel isn’t untouched by his flaws, the usual and traditional Chetan Bhagat flaws, it has content that can mitigate the faulty impressions that his techniques and other technical elements create. He has written so many novels but in my opinion, I will pick ‘Five Point Someone: What Not to Do at IIT’ as the best among the collection of his novels. I hope you will read it carefully and you will also get something out of this review that will be useful for you.įirst of all, let there be no doubts at all that Chetan Bhagat is the most popular contemporary author in India. This novel is still being read by audience worldwide (almost) and though I am late to the party, here is my critical review of this novel by one of the bestselling Indian Authors. Five Point Someone was a 2004 bestselling novel written by Chetan Bhagat.

Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat