Tokeliciously Toked

There are books that make you smile; there are books that make you cry.

And then there comes the third category – books that drive you crazy. In case you need an example, look no further than Jugal Mody’s Toke. Toke is one of those wickedly delicious and nonsensically crazy page-turners that manage to intoxicate your reading nerves and keeps you awake all through the night, as you gradually unravel the brilliance of the author in weaving a plot so unconventionally spell-binding.

Jugal Mody hits the precise notes on his debut. Right from the cover, we know something unusual is on offer. A pixelated depiction of Vishnu, wearing stylish Wayfarers, does let your imaginations run wild, and you can’t stop yourself from diving straightaway into the story. Nikhil is the narrator, and like so many youngsters of today, considers his life to be in total disarray. He hates his boss, loves Suparna ‘from HR’, and finds his colleague Alok intolerable. Having encountered a tough day at work, he realizes he needs to relax, and thus pays a visit to his friends Danny and Aman. He smokes weed along with them, and lo, Vishnu arrives, informing him that the world is in danger and he should help his friends in saving mankind. What follows is complete mayhem that leaves no stone unturned in grasping the readers’ attention.

Jugal Mody loves fictions. He worked in gaming and has handled web and social media for Filmfare and Tehelka. Through out the book, his humor leaves you in splits. Whether it is the Author Introduction at the beginning or the Afterword at the end, your funny bones are never spared.

The characterization is absolutely perfect. Nikhil gains your trust in no time and you soon find yourself rooting for him, his love and his mission to save the world. Danny and Aman are among the best supporting characters I have come across in a story since a very long time. They keep the flow intact, their acts drawing out your smiles at regular intervals. Suparna’s role of a lady confused with the happenings around her has been superbly sketched. Somewhere deep in our hearts, we wish her to fall in love with Nikhil.

And then there is Crow. Yes, a crow that can talk, and brag, and shout, and hug, and do everything that you and I can do. What more, it smokes weed too. The clever imagination of the author in using the Crow’s wings similar to hands is truly commendable. This character surely stands tall, and is undoubtedly my favorite character of Toke.

The unconventional characterization of Vishnu scores high points as well. Here, we have the God conversing in modern jargon, and performing tasks that we do not really associate our Gods with. All credit goes to the author for his wacky imagination.

There are other characters too, but they are more or less like surprise packages in the book. Mentioning about them might ruin all the fun. My suggestion, read it to relish it.

This is one novel that surely deserves a 2^nd and a 3^rd reading, and more. A real entertainer, Jugal Mody’s Toke left me 'Tokeliciously Toked'.

Title: Toke

Author: Jugal Mody

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Year: 2012

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

Number of Pages: 224

My Rating: 5/5