Genre: Memoir
Description:
“In 1980, after completing medical school in India, a young Indian
physician lands in Britain in pursuit of his dream to get to the United
States. He is young, a full 26-year-old,
ambitious and opinionated. The two and half years that he spent in Britain prior
to coming to the United States prove to be eventful years and this book
captures that period
The narrative is set in Great Britain of the early 1980's and
comprises a medley of experiences: of a young, nationalist Indian coming to the
land of his colonial masters, a new medical graduate negotiating the travails
of an international medical career and of an objective spectator looking down
upon this once great power. Thrown into this unlikely cocktail is the political
backdrop of Britain in the 80, s- the rise of Margaret Thatcher, the Royal
Wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, the Falkland War and racism.”
Author:
“The author is an academic and political commentator based in the
United States. Passionate about India, he is an avid writer and has written
several op-eds and columns for mainstream Indian newspapers like the New Indian Express, the Hindustan Times, the Sunday Guardian and the Pioneer. In addition he is a regular
columnist for the popular news portal, Rediff and blogs on Huffington Post (India).”
Appraisal:
Memoirs are an interesting genre in that they can take so many forms
and appeal to their target reader for so many reasons. Some readers prefer
memoirs by someone famous and not at all like them, whereas others like to read
about a normal person who happened to have some interesting experiences. Some
would prefer to read about someone a lot like themselves while other readers
see the memoir as a way to better understand someone from a different country,
culture, or otherwise different from the reader. For me V.Q.E. solidly fit in that last category.
The author, a relatively new doctor and native of India, wants to move
to the US. He determines his best chance of accomplishing that is moving first
to the UK where he’ll get more work and pass some professional testing. This
approach will both provide more experience, making him more appealing to
potential employers in the US, and also improve his odds of being approved by
US immigration authorities. The struggle to prepare for and hopefully pass the
tests is obviously one of the primary conflicts throughout the story.
Vivek’s employment, which consists of a series of short-term
assignments in different parts of the UK, keeps the stress level and intensity
of the story high in several different ways. His work environment, living
arrangements, and job duties are constantly changing. He’s continually applying
for the next temporary position, in danger of being out of work which also would
mean nowhere to live since living arrangements (typically a dorm like room hid
away somewhere on a hospital campus) are provided by the employer. Then we have
the historical backdrop of the UK in the 80s which might provoke nostalgia for
those old enough to remember things like the Falklands War and wedding bells
ringing for Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Overall, I found V.G.E. to be both entertaining and enlightening
in the glimpse it gave me into a different culture and way of life.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 50-55,000 words
No comments:
Post a Comment