The Mobile Phone

by Pankaj Suneja

The Mobile Phone is a story of connecting with child within. The story is set in Delhi and deals with the lives of Rohit, a tutor, and Prabhu, a child he teaches in the city. The author uses “the paper mobile phone” as a symbol to connect with someone who is absent. Someone we seek or someone who could hold us in our helplessness. The novel makes an attempt to understand death and deal with mourning. It looks at child’s play and fantasy life. It also looks at adults who are evolving in relationship.

Paperback

First published August 3, 2015

Reviews

[Merril Anil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impactful Story but a hasty treatment

First of all a huge thanks to the author for providing me with the copy of the book and trusting my words and nothing can actually convey my gratitude for surprising me with a physical copy of the book

There is no doubt to the fact that the core plot of the book can move your hearts. The physiological and the emotional aspects of the characters and the story have been truly taken care of in the book which is really impressive

The book opens amazingly and you slowly slip into the narration but after a point it starts wavering and there comes a stage when the line between flashback narration and the ongoing scene is so blurred that you have no idea which is happening currently and which is being referred in regards to the past and that is the major thing that concerned me in the book.

From the middle, since this line between past and present events starts blurring you kind of fail to keep up with the pulse of the things happening in the book. Another thing that kind of was unimpressive was the end as I felt it all ended too soon without enough explanation or smoothing

Characters are really strong in the book and the story only wobbles because of many directions executed in the narration but the core theme is really appreciable and like his previous books his stories focus more on the emotional strength and weakness of the characters

[Ipshita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story touches various aspects of life, from the pain of losing someone, to being alienated from one's family, to finding emotional substitute in mere objects. Each of these aspects is then intricately presented through the characters of Rohit and Prabhu. I really appreciated the touches of subjectivity that becomes evident through these characters, especially that of Rohit. There is more focus on every small action; and every formal and informal interaction is observed minutely.

The beginning is very strong and engaging. I had this feeling of anticipation as well as apprehension for what's to happen next while reading the book. And there are some beautiful and poignant lines such as:
Wasteland is land which is worthless
for cultivation. Like a child who has been emotionally
bruised in a way that can never heal.

In the second half, the story became just a bit difficult for me to grasp when Yamini, a chimera which helps Prabhu cope with his loss, tells us of a different fantasy plane. I could not understand the necessity for it is all. However, I loved the concept of using the paper mobile phone and then the pen in Rohit’s case, as a substitute for their emotional need:
What the pen was doing for Rohit right now, the paper
mobile phone did for Prabhu.
For me, that is the master stroke that’s going to make this book really memorable.


My sincere thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

[Aryan Sarath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book by Pankaj Suneja who has yet again proved his supremacy in the Psychology. This is a short story of around 94 pages but one would need to give full concentration in order to read it and understand.

I would also suggest to red the story all at once because if you give a break and go back to read the book after that, there are chances that you may not recollect as to what had happened earlier.

This book features very limited characters. 2 friends - Rohit and Kumar and a family of Dad(Akash),Mom(Madhu) and Son(Akash) and the story majorly revolves around Rohit and Akash. The author has used the paper mobile phone as an excellent prop to show up his imagination which was weaved beautifully in this story. The story is about the loss of some one important in their lives - for both Akash and Rohit and I wouldn'tsay anything more than this as it would defeat the very purpose of this book.

If you love Psychology coupled with Fiction, you have found the right book :-)

This review is a part of Goodreads Program where I got this book for FREE.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a friend of mine here on Goodreads. It certainly was better than his first book. I could follow the story line more closely. The relationship between the parent, child and tutor I thought was rather strange. It appears there are too many story lines within the one book and some I enjoyed, others I did not. It's clear to me that the more Pankaj writes, the better he becomes. I celebrate his accomplishments and encourage him to continue his writings!

[Mahathi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mobile phone is a story which touches different aspects - pain when someone dies, the emotional struggle within to overcome the pain and mind substituting that loss by some other object. This book talks about the child within every adult.

There are 2 parallel stories in the book. One story is about Rohit who is a tutor, a gay, loves his roommate Kumar, an introvert and who loses his mother in the childhood and couldn't come out of that past. Another one is around a child Prabhu, who is a student of Rohit. Prabhu also loses his mother as she dies suddenly with cancer. This incident makes him fantasize a paper mobile phone, which he uses to connect to his favorite tutor Rohit or even talk to God. Emotions and inner struggle of each character are portrayed very well. We empathize Prabhu on the loss of his mother and its impact on him.

This is a quick story, but I felt, the narration is very confusing as it moves between first person and the third person very quickly. Most of the times, I couldn't understand what the author is trying to say - Is the character really saying something or assuming or fantasizing or wanted to say it. Even though the concept is good, it might have been written well.

Overall, a good read for people who love psychology related books.

My Rating: 2/5 - See more at: http://www.fantasticfeathers.in/2016/...

[Supritha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mobile Phone yet again deals with Pankaj Suneja's favourite subject- psychology. Rohit is the tutor of a young boy Prabhu, and Kumar is Rohit's roommate. The main story revolves around these three characters and the apparent loneliness they experience, even when living in the midst of society. Prabhu requires a lot of attention which he does receive but not in the way he desires. He feels rather like a fly on the wall; something that people look at, but don't pay much attention to. The other characters too cry out for love in their respective ways. One day Prabhu loses his support system, after which he begins to hover between reality and the imaginary. The narrative keeps oscillating between the past and the present, such that re-reading of certain chapters are required in order to understand the sequence of events. The end of the story seems to approach rather quickly, just when one has begun to familiarise themselves with the characters. All I can say is that I look forward to Suneja's next book, since he does make the readers think about issues that they would normally ignore or take for granted, in their daily lives.

[Payal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude for the ARC. It was such a wonderful surprise! :)

I'm not very used to reading Indian authors so it took me a while to get accustomed to the colloquialisms and the setting. A few pages in, it took on a very charming characteristic, though- so much that it made me want to delve into Indian literature á la Tagore and Anita Desai. 100% serious.

The narration was unlike anything I'd read before. It was fragmented and jumped from one POV to another almost abruptly. Magically, it managed to remain seamless somehow. Maybe it's just me but this style- it added an almost frenzied urgency to the storytelling. I got goosebumps more time than I could keep track of.

I know I'm walking away from this book with a higher EQ. Everybody has their demons. The world needs more empathy.

Recommending The Mobile Phone to my close friends and family and I am certain I'll re-read it!

[Sharanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Brief Take on Adulthood, Loss and Grieving

The Mobile Phone by Pankaj Suneja has two parallel stories, that of Rohit and Kumar and a family of three – Akash and Madhu, parents to Prabhu. The story deals with how adults and children equally struggle with death and loss. It narrates a deep view on how sometimes we have to reach inwards to cope with the struggle of moving on after a traumatic experience. The novel is a short and quick read, but I found the alternating shift in voices between the first person and the third person slightly jarring. And I also found the plot a bit lacking in cohesiveness. The plot line was interesting, but I wish the protagonists were fleshed out more, as it would have helped to create a better connect with the characters.

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Nishtha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and happening

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[Mayank Kashyap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thoughtful concept decorated with wonderful writing style.

[Ritika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is certainly better than the author's previous one.
It is more continuous and engaging.
I liked it.

[Rishita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5