Book Review: Aisle Be Damned by Rishi Piparaiya

 

Book: Aisle Be Damned

Author: Rishi Piparaiya

No. of Pages: 216

Genre: Non-fiction, Humour, satire

Publisher: Jaico Publishing House

This time around, the source of the copy of this book was unexpected. I won the copy in a GoodReads.com giveaway!! The book came straight from the author and I was intrigued, both, by the author profile as well as the subject of the book.

The author has been a very very frequent traveler and I could identify with him to some extent having taken around 50 international flights from 2005 to 2011 … and then within a year, taking 50 domestic flights within India from July 2012 to June 2013. I knew I was in for a fun-ride but it turned out to be more.

And incidentally, I read the whole book on a Delhi-Mumbai flight spanning 2 hours where I could closely relate each and every thing written in the book and often slipping into memory lanes, remembering my own experiences from past 8 years about airports, flights, boarding onto flights and so on.

Personally I feel the book could have much more. There is a lot more to write about on this subject and I am sure the author himself would have been tempted to write to a lot more. There are certain areas of air-travel Rishi has not touched upon … so maybe an 'upgraded' version might be released in future or a 'sequel' – who knows?

The book is well written and Rishi has maintained the humor quotient high. I would recommend this book to any frequent air traveler (anyone who is flying around almost every month – taking more than 8 flights in a year qualifies). You should definitely read this book … and like me, read it on a flight. It will entertain you … and even promote the book amongst other fliers. And of course, it can even be used as a conversation starter with the beautiful/handsome neighbor during your journey.

For those who don't fly at all or fly occasionally a couple of times year, this book will provide you with entertainment for sure BUT you may not be able to relate to the content or 'feel' it. The strength of this book is the high level of 'identification' and 'emotions' it churns up in a frequent flier.

The non-fliers should not get scared by what Rishi writes about 'the horrors and risks of flying' … they are meant in a lighter vein. The fliers will know exactly what it means (wink)!  

Last but not the least, I would seriously hope to share a flight with Rishi someday – preferably sitting next to each other – talking about the different aspects of the book. It would be a lively and loud conversation and we might just about raise the 'entertainment quotient' of the otherwise boring and sleepy flights.

 

Comments

  1. Rishi Piparaiya has truly outdone himself and has shown himself to be a master of satire. He has shown great care and acute observational skills in picking the most annoying and embarrassing of things that happen in one's day to day exchange with the airport and it's queer inhabitants and projected them in a hilarious and thoroughly entertaining way. He has given an whole new outlook to the things that happen in and out of an airplane. Seriously who would have thought that my missing jacket was actually stolen by the Italian mafia.

    Rishi uses a delicate and simple style of writing to convey his story and that too with an even flavor of humour and satire. There is a chance that his sense of humour, predominant his style of humour would come across as slapstick to some but it is undeniable that he got a suave way of making his readers laugh. Anyone who has ever been on a flight and anyone who has seen the way the various quirks of the aluminium tube that flies will find it interesting and can relate to it seamlessly. It is just an understatement to say that Rishi has outdone himself.

    They book though randomly satirical, is not random at all in organization. The book is neatly edited and organized as in the order of which the events would occur in an actual flight, from take off to landing and this differentiate 'Aisle be damned' from a regular book of jokes and into a humorous page turner. I will though advice the ones who have not flown to keep away, you don't need to add to your aviatophobia do we and secondly most jokes would appear to be tasteless and blown up to a person who is unaccustomed with such an environment as an airport.

    But for everyone else this is hilarious and light hearted, and would make your stomach hurt from laughing. I personally found the beginning and end to be rather bland and tasteless in nature as compared to the rest of it. I give the book a 'good' status and recommend it exclusively for all fliers, frequent and otherwise. The swaying hips awaits... *chuckle*.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tongue Twister - V for Vendetta

Gandhi Topi !!