Sorting Out Sid - A Book Review

I came across this picture from Google Images a few days back and it sent me into peals of laughter. My hubby's comment "spideman's shaadi ke side effects" further sent me into clutching my tummy and rolling over with laughter. 

Jokes apart, marriage is a huge commitment and it is happily-ever-after only if both the parties work towards it. Like Mignon Mclaughlin says 'A successful marriage requires falling in love many times and always with the same person'. 

I love Yashodhara's style of writing. Her blog and later her debut book Just Married Please Excuse showed us her tongue-in-cheek humour. Her latest offering Sorting Out Sid takes her writing skills a notch higher as she effortlessly blends humour into staid and monotonous situations. She highlights today's relationships with panache.

Sid the hero of the story is a happy-go lucky chap; who at the onset appears to have it all. A flourishing career, a happy marriage and a set of cool friends whom he hangs out with regularly - the world sees him as truly blessed. But all is not well as there are a lot of chinks in his armor. His marriage of 15 long years is going nowhere, his work where he gets promoted as the youngest V.P. offers him no respite as he is surrounded by a boss who appears a moron. His life gets a breather when he meets a charming divorcee named Neha through a close friend, with whom he has a few initial fracas. First impression is surely not the last impression vis-a-vis Neha!

I could relate to Sid as he dons on various masks while dealing with people/situations; so out comes the witty office Sid, party Sid etc. Don't we all, at some point of time in our life, resort to such disguises to get through difficult but unavoidable moments? Sid's conversations with his soul mate Brownie gives a glimpse of the solitariness and emptiness within him. Another character that caught my attention was the cheerful albeit intrusive and overbearing pal Aditi. There is a mention of something more to their relationship but she is a rock of support. 

The book is a breezy refreshing read and is laced with dry humour and self deprecating yet light moments. It never goes into a preachy mode;  rather it is something that we all can relate to or probably know someone like the characters in this story. The message of Work-in –progress was profound, implying that we all have our quirks and idiosyncrasies but as long as there is an urge to learn and unlearn we are sorted for life.

Yays & Nays :-

Yays to :-

• Lucid narrative and extremely relatable characters.
• A fun take on the reality of a person's life.
• Sensitivity rules supreme as the protagonist goes through a variety of situations and emotions with an innate goodness.
• An over-bearing father, an ever-doting mom, hectic work schedule, faltering relations, personal issues etc are dealt with by a well rounded balance of seriousness, mirth and laughter.
• Absolutely rocking cover!

Nays to :-

• Mandira’s character was given a weak deal. The author could have delved more in to what her issues really were; probably some couples are never meant to be but still 15 years is a long period of time to get away without some serious talking over.
• The book could have done with a more slick editing. While page 71 talks about 15 years of togetherness, page 113 puts it as a 10 year companionship.

Final Word :-

A light n breezy read of real life situations.

Author    :   Yashodhara Lal
ISBN        :  9789350296912
Price       :  INR 250/-
Publisher :  Harper Collins
Category  : Fiction 
Recommendation : Double Thumbs Up !

P.S. - Thank you Yashodara for the book, my Hubby finished the book in 3 days flat with a smirk on his face and compared me with Sid :( especially for the emotional tantrums.