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The Retro Man
“Taciturn, loner and honestly quite a bore...Neel lived with his clichéd views of life belonging to some bygone era when humility was a virtue, courage was unobtrusive, strength was courteous and movie heroes were well dressed gentlemen.”
The habitually reticent Neel is maneuvered into sharing the secrets of his queer yet happy existence with a friend who happens to be an antithesis of Neel’s idyllic views about life. Although the man can’t stand Neel’s idealistic, old-fashioned ways, he must bear with Neel’s hackneyed wisdom for one whole night to fulfill a personal agenda. The story unfolds in an ensuing dialogue that spans faith, destiny and most of all relationships…within a family and with the Almighty. Neel unravels how he eventually found his footing in life after a turbulent childhood and then used a shattering personal failure to turn all the negativity in his life into a mantra for lifelong happiness. Tempted, Neel’s friend can’t wait to use that mantra to find some happiness for himself and soon finds an opportunity to do so; but are the results up to his expectations…?
The habitually reticent Neel is maneuvered into sharing the secrets of his queer yet happy existence with a friend who happens to be an antithesis of Neel’s idyllic views about life. Although the man can’t stand Neel’s idealistic, old-fashioned ways, he must bear with Neel’s hackneyed wisdom for one whole night to fulfill a personal agenda. The story unfolds in an ensuing dialogue that spans faith, destiny and most of all relationships…within a family and with the Almighty. Neel unravels how he eventually found his footing in life after a turbulent childhood and then used a shattering personal failure to turn all the negativity in his life into a mantra for lifelong happiness. Tempted, Neel’s friend can’t wait to use that mantra to find some happiness for himself and soon finds an opportunity to do so; but are the results up to his expectations…?
- GenresFiction
270 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2015
1 person is currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Amit Pandey
3 books2 followersAmit Pandey is a writer, instructional designer based in Ghaziabad, near New Delhi in India. He is living off his keyboard since 1995 when he started his career as a copywriter for an advertising agency. His other vocational adventures include being a desk writer for an Atlanta based bimonthly, an assistant editor in a textbook publishing house, an instructional designer in a multinational corporation and an independent consultant for K12 and soft skills eLearning programs. A science graduate with post graduate qualifications in publishing and advertising, he has always been passionate about writing. He writes in both English and Hindi. His published works include 16 short stories and a picture book. He has won three awards in nationwide competitions for original story writing. 'The Retro man' is his debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 15, 2018
As human beings we are inherently bound to have many flaws, while some of us accept and respect that, trying to change wherever possible, others try to be more accommodating, while the greatest amongst us
Read the full review here: https://www.bookgeeks.in/retro-man-am...
Read the full review here: https://www.bookgeeks.in/retro-man-am...
September 10, 2015
I would recommend this book to all people who are married or about to get married. It is all about relationships, but the take on them is very unconventional. Very enjoyable read.
September 10, 2015
This is a book to read and silently brood over, feel the connects, and make some life changing decisions for the better. Recommended for everybody. A very-very honest book.
October 21, 2017
I read it with great interest. Well, I may not agree with some of its philosophical/existential premises, but it was written with marvelous clarity and ease of language and drew the reader into idiosyncratic world of the protagonist with great felicity and conviction.
August 5, 2016
Narrated by an unnamed friend of the main protagonist, Neel, The Retro Man explores love, family, and relationships across all fronts, with yourself, with your immediate family, extended relations, humanity in general and with God. Set in contemporary times, in an unnamed city with the characters doing unnamed jobs, the focus is solely on the themes of the novel.
Neel is always happy and has a relaxed attitude towards life which irks the narrator, his friend, who has totally opposite ideas on how things should be done. Neel is a happy-go-lucky, optimistic, and forward looking guy with faith in destiny and the universe while his friend has a more pessimistic view on life. On the night of Neel’s 15th marriage anniversary, his friend asks him what exactly happened that changed, or rather, shaped this outlook. What follows is a night full of recollections from the past on Neel’s part and debating each aspect on his friend’s part. While Neel’s childhood and early years weren’t exactly rosy, they did shape his character. After these rumination, his friend decides to give his ideals a try, finding nothing theoretically wrong in them.
The characters are finely drawn, though not much is given about them, and Amit Pandey makes us feel for each of them. Many Indians especially may connect with his career and future defined by his gender and his siblings by his parents. What is refreshing is that the society is not shown to degrade women, instead they have been taught to respect women. On the other hand, the novel is replete with cliches, possibly because Neel’s character is just one big cliche living a rosy existence. A few more details about the characters might also have worked. Overall it is a fine read.
Neel is always happy and has a relaxed attitude towards life which irks the narrator, his friend, who has totally opposite ideas on how things should be done. Neel is a happy-go-lucky, optimistic, and forward looking guy with faith in destiny and the universe while his friend has a more pessimistic view on life. On the night of Neel’s 15th marriage anniversary, his friend asks him what exactly happened that changed, or rather, shaped this outlook. What follows is a night full of recollections from the past on Neel’s part and debating each aspect on his friend’s part. While Neel’s childhood and early years weren’t exactly rosy, they did shape his character. After these rumination, his friend decides to give his ideals a try, finding nothing theoretically wrong in them.
The characters are finely drawn, though not much is given about them, and Amit Pandey makes us feel for each of them. Many Indians especially may connect with his career and future defined by his gender and his siblings by his parents. What is refreshing is that the society is not shown to degrade women, instead they have been taught to respect women. On the other hand, the novel is replete with cliches, possibly because Neel’s character is just one big cliche living a rosy existence. A few more details about the characters might also have worked. Overall it is a fine read.
May 1, 2016
From a man to another man, I can relate to a lot of things discussed in this book. What I liked most is the honesty with which some of the delicate issues about family relationships have been dealt with. Very enjoyable.
July 13, 2024
Detailed review here https://www.anuradhagoyal.com/the-ret...
November 2, 2016
Received the book as a goodreads giveaway. Very well-written
July 18, 2016
Talking about the man's role in everyday family life is a little interesting, considering the fact that it is the woman that reigns there. The book has been written in a dialogue format. But one sees it turns out to be ninety nine percent monologue, one percent dialogue. In fitness of things, in a Q-A dialogue the questioner occupies very little space. The weakness is inherent in the scheme itself.
The protagonist continues to narrate his position to a very patient listener about his everyday commonplace family experience until the reader sits up to hear him take a contrarian position. To the writer's credit he invariably succeeds in convincing the reader in this attempt. The saving grace is different chapters deal with different issues, situations and the roles of the man in it separately.
What I liked most about the book is , unlike many Indian prints, it has much less slips/errors and it's written in enjoyable English.
The book ends up with the hero's philosophy of life which justifies his contrarian views.
a) Secret to happiness in my life by 'doing everything for myself.' p.246
b)I am a 'firm believer in destiny' which god cannot 'mess with.' p.146
c)I am equally responsible 'for the state of affairs in my life.'p.247
I award this book three stars.
I'd got the book through giveaway.
The protagonist continues to narrate his position to a very patient listener about his everyday commonplace family experience until the reader sits up to hear him take a contrarian position. To the writer's credit he invariably succeeds in convincing the reader in this attempt. The saving grace is different chapters deal with different issues, situations and the roles of the man in it separately.
What I liked most about the book is , unlike many Indian prints, it has much less slips/errors and it's written in enjoyable English.
The book ends up with the hero's philosophy of life which justifies his contrarian views.
a) Secret to happiness in my life by 'doing everything for myself.' p.246
b)I am a 'firm believer in destiny' which god cannot 'mess with.' p.146
c)I am equally responsible 'for the state of affairs in my life.'p.247
I award this book three stars.
I'd got the book through giveaway.
shelved-not-read
May 1, 2016Received the book as part of a goodreads giveaway.
Review yet to come....
Review yet to come....
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews