Once Upon a Timezone

by Neelesh Misra

In the heart of middle-class India, Neelesh Pandey, just out of college, dreams day and night of his first love America and also of an escape from his fathers grandiose desire to land an upper-caste daughter-in-law. Unable to go to the United States, he takes the second best a job at a call centre where he assumes an American identity. Meanwhile, in faraway New York, Angela Cruz has escaped her racist father and life in Jackson, Mississippi, and is a journalist chasing her big story of a school band of immigrant kids in a New York suburb who have been selected to perform at a musical extravaganza but dont have the money to fly there. Angela buys a computer, it malfunctions, and she calls the call centre to scream at them. She runs into Neel, and, many many conversations later, they tumble into a faraway romance. Once upon a Timezone is a funny, light-hearted look at two people, in two different continents who are both trying to escape similar worlds of prejudice, and who realize somewhere along the way that mix-ups and cover-ups, nationalities and distances, notwithstanding, they are deeply in love.

Genres: Novels

248 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2007

Reviews

[Avani ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once upon a timezone by Neelesh Misra is a typical Bollywood movie novel. It talks about a boy named Neel Pandey and a girl Angela Cruz. Neel lives in New Delhi, whereas Angela lives in New York City. Both of them meet online as Neel works at a call center as Neil Patterson. In the between they both decide to meet but as they both live in completely different countries, Neel mails her everything and tells the truth but due to miscommunication the msg is delivered late to her. This part of the novel was really irritating to read. The end as usual is very cheesy as he somehow goes to US and meets her and then end up together.

[Gauri]

Good

[Pranita Chaturvedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a one-time read. At certain points, it will make you laugh. At certain points, it will make you question whatever you're reading.

[Manu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bollywood style romance with a Hollywood heroine, that's probably how I'd describe the book, not just because of the story and the characters, who seem perfect for a movie version, but also because of the pace of the book and the turns within.

Neel Pandey, obsessed with America, but whose visa application gets rejected, settles for a vicarious experience - at a call centre, where he gets transformed into Neil Patterson, and falls in love with a customer, in far away America, even as his father tries to get him married to a girl of the right caste, and his mother, whose own dreams have been stifled thanks to her husband, looks on helplessly.

Angela Cruz, fresh out of college and building a new life as a journalist, away from her race-obsessed father, is smitten by Neil Patterson, thanks to a phone call she makes to fix her computer. She is led to believe that he's American, while she herself cooks up a story of her being a model.

Their turbulent love life is what makes up the remainder of the book. In addition to the parents, there are also a couple of characters who play important roles - Neel's friend Meenal, whom his dad wants him to marry, and Rocky Randhawa, a con artist who runs a business of supplying fake visas.

The story itself is quite predictable, but is breezy enough to make for a non-boring read. The author does have a sense of humour, though cliches have been employed at regular intervals, mostly as devices to portray a stereotypical Indian middle class family. In essence, reading it won't do you any irreparable damage.

[Dipanjan Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent work of fiction... hilarious comedy....

[Debarati Dasgupta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feeling sorry for wasting my money on this.Just about suitable for tolerating an extremely boring train journey.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous look at love in the call center life in India.