Book: the best a man can get - John O' farell

....the best a man can get.....
This is the story of an advertising professional - into creative - Michael Adams is a composer of ad jingles. So it doesn't surprise that the name of the book has also been derived from the tag line of a brand. But the similarity ends there.

Watch the ad. It says - "You know that feeling, Every guy has had it. You are unbeatable , Unstoppable....... the best a man can get". On the contrary the protagonist of the book is quite the opposite. He is only getting towards his worst. He leads a double life, has no sense of direction living from one lie to another; then he decides enough is enough! The story is hilarious till that point in time.

But like a bollywood cinema script, after the realisation, he does change and change for better. There are many a twist and turn in the book to keep one glued to it. But somehow the end disappointed me . It was "....they lived happily ever after...." kind of ending. I expected more or may be less. I prefer books that are left open ended. Somehow I feel life is like that - with open ended loose ends - nothing comes to a conclusive end - the end is always gradual or at time there is none.

What I loved were some of the author's insights and instances he created like:

- The casual almost callous life of bachelor's sharing a flat.(Have been through it!)
- The fact that most people spend 8 hrs in office not essentially working but because its mandatory to do so and effectively work for not more than 2-3 hrs/day.
- Life is difficult.Kids are boring. Marriages suck after a while.
- You have to work towards making everything else in your life work.

The one final quote from the book. It isn't one of my favorite quotes.It is one from his moment of realisation and the turning point in the book.
Pg 262
".....Dawn was breaking over the common and I suddenly felt I had got it. I understood how all this worked; the riddle was solved in my head.You have to just spend time with the people you love. You don't try to change them, you don't get annoyed because they don't behave how you want them to behave, you put up with boredom or tantrums or repetition and you just spend time with them......just pass time with them and then everyone is happy, even you in the end."

Read it for the hilarious events, twists and turns and the dark humor over a lazy summer weekend! But if its literary genius you are looking for then avoid it.