Caste Off: A Short Story By Jeffrey Archer | Book Review

Jeffrey Archer doesn’t require any introduction. He enjoys almost a celebrity status among literary circles. Considered as a master storyteller, he is known for writing gripping thrillers.

In order to celebrate the publication of his 7^th Short Story Collection, a short story by him was made available for FREE in each month of 2018! What can an avid reader ask more for?

Caste Off is made available for free in February 2018. And, it is free since then! And, how can we miss a chance to read it :)? Here are my unbiased views and reviews for this short story.

Let us take a look at the cover page of the Ebook.

The cherry red color dominates the cover page along with the title in black. And it goes well with the story as well. The red color is favorite among sports car lovers and the story starts with the reference of two costly cars! And yes, the car is there on the cover page too! We can give distinction marks for the cover page for sure.

Book Plot:

The story is set up in a metropolitan city of India. A wealthy young business tycoon who inherited a dreamy amount of wealth from his family is living the life of a Casanova. To his merit, we must say that he is well educated and good at the work he does. At the same, he is good at spending money also, probably more than what he earned!

One fine day when going through the daily traffic he saw a beautiful young girl driving a supercar like him and he tried to chase her. The girl was smart and a good driver. And, he lost her, but not completely!

He traced her to a hotel and he visited the same. Their first meeting (if we can call it so) was not very fruitful for him. He seems found someone better even in wordplay also, then himself. He decided to go for her. But, what about the girl he is seeing currently? Does he genuinely fall in love for this girl or was just infatuated towards her? Will he be able to meet her ever again? Will his family approve his actions or he needs to concentrate on the business more than his personal affairs? Well, all the answers can be found by reading this short EBook.

The short story is really good if you love thrillers. The climax of the story is quite unexpected and thus you can call it a story with a twist.

Since the beginning of the story, you will witness the dreamy life a the wealthy youth lives. The costly cars, enjoying escapades in some of the most famous (read costly) coffee-shops, restaurant and hotels, and a carefree life. And, at the same time, you will see the person is hardworking. Some of the famous perceptions about traffic in India are found explored in the book as well.

The Ferrari screeched to a halt at the next set of lights, only just avoiding a cow that was sitting in the middle of the road like a traffic bollard.

The author is able to explore various shades of a person. And, that makes this fantasy tale look quite realistic. Also, the change in a person’s persona when he/she is genuinely believed in something, is explored quite nicely.

There are some conversations which are sarcastic and will remind of you of some of the James Bond movies. Here is one such conversation form the book:

…
‘I didn’t want to bother you…’ he began
She turned and smiled sweetly, but did not stop walking. “It’s no bother, but I’m not looking for a chauffeur at the moment.”
“How about a boyfriend? he said, not missing a beat.
“Thank you but no. I don’t think you could handle the place.
…

The author is good at exploring scenes. The way he explores the thing is interesting. Though he doesn’t go for writing paragraphs and paragraphs to explore a scene, he is able to build it in a few lines.

Jamwal gently touched the accelerator. The engine purred like a tiger and the smiles became even broader.

This is a quality which is expected in authors, especially those who pens short stories. Actually, writing a short story is like walking on a tightrope. You cannot take too much time to set the things up. You need to make the things interesting since the beginning and yet the stuff should not be half-baked also.

The author’s command on words makes the short read interesting.

Jamwal arrived a few minutes late for his date with Sunita that evening, something no one complains about in Delhi, where the traffic has a mind of its own.

The names he has given to the characters of the book are quite interesting as well.

The book is available for free as of now and it doesn’t demand much of your time also. So, it is really a good choice if you like reading thrillers.

Summary:

A nice short story which could have been better.

Around 7.5 out of 10

If you already have read the book do share your remarks and thoughts via comments below. Does this review help you in making your decision to buy or read the book? Do not forget to share this article with your friends over various social networks via Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and others. And yes, you may like to subscribe to our RSS feeds and follow us on various Social networks to get latest updates for the site to land right in your mail box.