- Author: T. Sathish
- Paperback: 228 pages
- Publisher: Notion Press; 1 edition (21 February 2019)
- Language: English
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Sat, Sam, and Trib (a.k.a Triple Sundae gang) are teenagers and they love the sport of Cricket. They spend most of their time watching and playing the sport they love. They dream of making their living in the sport. When they are not playing the game, they put on their thinking cap and come up with alternate versions of important matches or provide parodic answers to questions that have plagued cricket fans over the years.
However, fate intervenes in their idyllic life.
Sat fails to graduate from school level cricket to state-level cricket. He is heartbroken by the loss of his dreams and faces a mini identity crisis.
How do the boys solve their problems? Will Sat get his mojo back? Come, join the heartwarming ride and find out the answers, as Sat takes you through his nostalgic memories of the sport and narrates his coming of age story, which is deeply influenced by the sport!
‘Love is not a means to an end; it is an end in itself.’
Cricket is a sport of huge fanbase in India. People of all ages right from those small children to mighty old ones – everyone takes a slice in watching the game of cricket. It is not just a sport here but a passion, a religion.
Life In The Sunshine is a pleasing tale of a boy living cricket and loving it immensely only to lose it in the end. Trib, Sat, and Sam are three friends who were brought together by their common love for cricket. They bade their time in relishing the sport and imbibing its values in their own lives. They dreamt of making it to the Indian cricket team some day. However, destiny played well and only Sam went ahead clearing the primary level while Trib and Sat were left to bemoan. Sat was greatly attached to the sport but realized that perhaps, it was not where he was meant to be. In between all this conundrum, comes a Pakistani apparition Abdul who nags them really well. The story goes on to chart Sat’s re-realization of his potential and finally making peace with what he is made to do in life.
The analogy between Cricket and life has been drawn out very well. I liked how the author puts forth his thoughts on living life through the values and lessons juiced out of the legendary cricketers’ lives. Written in the first person, the book is a kind of memoir of a struggling cricket player who aspires to play for team India. The author deftly stepped into the shoes of his characters and brought out their intricacies. The character development is fine-tuned with the light but unique plotline. Not being an ardent lover of cricket myself, I presumed to not like the book much. But I am surprised at how this refreshing tale of dreams and friendship tickled my heart and made me smile. Several anecdotes of the cricket world have been inserted at places to supplement the narrative. That in itself brought a charm to the complete story. It seemed more real and relatable. Also, the guest appearances of Abdul were absolutely amazing. That particular element added meaning to the story.
- The pace of the story is good. I just found the middle part a little tedious.
- The narration is informal and really nice to read through.
- The story is fresh and something I haven’t read before.
- Although the central idea of the book is cricket, the way it moves towards life and living is stupendous.
Overall, it is a joyful ride. In fact, anyone who loves cricket would enjoy it thoroughly. It is equally suited for the people of all the age groups.
MY RATING: 4/ 5
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