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The Bitter Pill Social Club
Witness the private life of the world’s most beautiful animals.
You know exactly who they are. The ones who walk right past club lines, who get what they want before they ask for it. It’s a familiar cast: the centre of attention, the shameless flirt, the loudmouth, the narcissistic writer. You’ve seen them all. You’ve felt their Gucci-anointed aura. Laughing and dancing. Kissing the wrong people at the wrong time. Swaying to their own beat. Going out every night they’re sad. Finding solace in the crowd in a city paved with mildly good intentions and cocaine lines. A city of smooth talkers, armchair activists, and the rich brats of Instagram. A place to talk pop spirituality and purple prose in connoisseur-only jazz clubs.
The Bitter Pill Social Club takes a look at the lives of the Kochhar family, who find themselves drifting apart in the city of djinns, gins, and fake friends wrapped up in cigarette smoke. As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch’s constant judgment. Divorce, disappointment, and disasters ensue as the entitled Kochhar brood dodges old lovers and marriage proposals.
You know exactly who they are. The ones who walk right past club lines, who get what they want before they ask for it. It’s a familiar cast: the centre of attention, the shameless flirt, the loudmouth, the narcissistic writer. You’ve seen them all. You’ve felt their Gucci-anointed aura. Laughing and dancing. Kissing the wrong people at the wrong time. Swaying to their own beat. Going out every night they’re sad. Finding solace in the crowd in a city paved with mildly good intentions and cocaine lines. A city of smooth talkers, armchair activists, and the rich brats of Instagram. A place to talk pop spirituality and purple prose in connoisseur-only jazz clubs.
The Bitter Pill Social Club takes a look at the lives of the Kochhar family, who find themselves drifting apart in the city of djinns, gins, and fake friends wrapped up in cigarette smoke. As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch’s constant judgment. Divorce, disappointment, and disasters ensue as the entitled Kochhar brood dodges old lovers and marriage proposals.
- GenresFiction
314 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2018
1 person is currently reading
69 people want to read
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July 5, 2018
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
----Leo Tolstoy
Rohan Dahiya, an Indian author, has penned a satirical contemporary fiction called, The Bitter Pill Social Club that revolves around a family based in Delhi, India, who lives for their selfish reasons and most importantly for their social status amongst their friends, relatives and Instagram followers. The sarcastic yet very vivid portrait of a filthy rich family who lives on their own terms, without realization that they are destroying lives as they go on with their Insta worthy life. But soon tragedy strikes this family and it is high time for the family as a whole to realize their mistakes before they lose themselves to the social media frenzy.
Synopsis:
Witness the private life of the world’s most beautiful animals.
You know exactly who they are. The ones who walk right past club lines, who get what they want before they ask for it. It’s a familiar cast: the centre of attention, the shameless flirt, the loudmouth, the narcissistic writer. You’ve seen them all. You’ve felt their Gucci-anointed aura. Laughing and dancing. Kissing the wrong people at the wrong time. Swaying to their own beat. Going out every night they’re sad. Finding solace in the crowd in a city paved with mildly good intentions and cocaine lines. A city of smooth talkers, armchair activists, and the rich brats of Instagram. A place to talk pop spirituality and purple prose in connoisseur-only jazz clubs.
The Bitter Pill Social Club takes a look at the lives of the Kochhar family, who find themselves drifting apart in the city of djinns, gins, and fake friends wrapped up in cigarette smoke. As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch’s constant judgment. Divorce, disappointment, and disasters ensue as the entitled Kochhar brood dodges old lovers and marriage proposals.
The Kochhar family has forever lived for the 10k likes, 500+ comments and 200+ shares in the popular social media platforms. Sana is the popular one amongst her peers and is on a lover hunt to satisfy her Insta followers. Her mom, Tina is and has been forever absent from her daughter's or her soon-to-be-ex-husband's lives and has always loved for herself. Sana's dad, Hassan has always been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons and has finally made up his mind to cut all ties from an unemotional wife like Tina. Hassan's sisters' lives, a.k.a., Geetu and Kama are equally scandalous and dramatic. But all of the lives crumble down one after another after a major tragedy strikes the whole family, and eventually, they all realize the importance of relationships and self love beyond all.
The author has portrayed the portrait of a typical elite class Delhite family surviving the mad chaos of social media through likes and Insta worthy drama irrespective of other people's feelings in a very striking manner. The plot has all the elements to make the book a blockbuster one, sadly, all of the elements felt so disorganized that most of the time while reading, I found myself wishing loudly for this book and its story to end. Even though one will get a good laugh while reading this book, yet somehow, the confusing story line will overshadow the enticing charm of the book or its characters.
The author's writing style is really articulate and fresh, laced with enough emotions to make the readers feel the characters' ongoing plights. The dialogues are funny and full of sarcastic remarks, sadly, somewhere down the line, those dialogues became very rough and monotonous, thereby forcing its readers to lose interest from the characters' voices. The pacing is really fast and since so much happens with little or no explanation at all, hence this book is okay for an one time read.
The characters are terrible in this book, I bet readers won't be able to relate to individual characters. Though they sound realistic but there is no development, just a vague sketch of the characters, with whom the readers might try hard to relate to but in the end, will feel more confused about them. There are too many characters and their appearance and presence in the book is very choppy and felt quite messy, I could not wrap my head around the characters demeanor or voices all through out the story line. But when they commented something hilarious, it definitely cracked me up every single time. Otherwise, both the plot and the characters felt very bland.
In a nutshell, I would not recommend this book to anyone, yet if you enjoy something funny and mindless, go for it.
Verdict: This book could have been much better.
Courtesy: Thanks to the publishers from Bloomsbury India for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
----Leo Tolstoy
Rohan Dahiya, an Indian author, has penned a satirical contemporary fiction called, The Bitter Pill Social Club that revolves around a family based in Delhi, India, who lives for their selfish reasons and most importantly for their social status amongst their friends, relatives and Instagram followers. The sarcastic yet very vivid portrait of a filthy rich family who lives on their own terms, without realization that they are destroying lives as they go on with their Insta worthy life. But soon tragedy strikes this family and it is high time for the family as a whole to realize their mistakes before they lose themselves to the social media frenzy.
Synopsis:
Witness the private life of the world’s most beautiful animals.
You know exactly who they are. The ones who walk right past club lines, who get what they want before they ask for it. It’s a familiar cast: the centre of attention, the shameless flirt, the loudmouth, the narcissistic writer. You’ve seen them all. You’ve felt their Gucci-anointed aura. Laughing and dancing. Kissing the wrong people at the wrong time. Swaying to their own beat. Going out every night they’re sad. Finding solace in the crowd in a city paved with mildly good intentions and cocaine lines. A city of smooth talkers, armchair activists, and the rich brats of Instagram. A place to talk pop spirituality and purple prose in connoisseur-only jazz clubs.
The Bitter Pill Social Club takes a look at the lives of the Kochhar family, who find themselves drifting apart in the city of djinns, gins, and fake friends wrapped up in cigarette smoke. As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch’s constant judgment. Divorce, disappointment, and disasters ensue as the entitled Kochhar brood dodges old lovers and marriage proposals.
The Kochhar family has forever lived for the 10k likes, 500+ comments and 200+ shares in the popular social media platforms. Sana is the popular one amongst her peers and is on a lover hunt to satisfy her Insta followers. Her mom, Tina is and has been forever absent from her daughter's or her soon-to-be-ex-husband's lives and has always loved for herself. Sana's dad, Hassan has always been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons and has finally made up his mind to cut all ties from an unemotional wife like Tina. Hassan's sisters' lives, a.k.a., Geetu and Kama are equally scandalous and dramatic. But all of the lives crumble down one after another after a major tragedy strikes the whole family, and eventually, they all realize the importance of relationships and self love beyond all.
The author has portrayed the portrait of a typical elite class Delhite family surviving the mad chaos of social media through likes and Insta worthy drama irrespective of other people's feelings in a very striking manner. The plot has all the elements to make the book a blockbuster one, sadly, all of the elements felt so disorganized that most of the time while reading, I found myself wishing loudly for this book and its story to end. Even though one will get a good laugh while reading this book, yet somehow, the confusing story line will overshadow the enticing charm of the book or its characters.
The author's writing style is really articulate and fresh, laced with enough emotions to make the readers feel the characters' ongoing plights. The dialogues are funny and full of sarcastic remarks, sadly, somewhere down the line, those dialogues became very rough and monotonous, thereby forcing its readers to lose interest from the characters' voices. The pacing is really fast and since so much happens with little or no explanation at all, hence this book is okay for an one time read.
The characters are terrible in this book, I bet readers won't be able to relate to individual characters. Though they sound realistic but there is no development, just a vague sketch of the characters, with whom the readers might try hard to relate to but in the end, will feel more confused about them. There are too many characters and their appearance and presence in the book is very choppy and felt quite messy, I could not wrap my head around the characters demeanor or voices all through out the story line. But when they commented something hilarious, it definitely cracked me up every single time. Otherwise, both the plot and the characters felt very bland.
In a nutshell, I would not recommend this book to anyone, yet if you enjoy something funny and mindless, go for it.
Verdict: This book could have been much better.
Courtesy: Thanks to the publishers from Bloomsbury India for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
May 18, 2018
The Bitter Pill Social Club tells the story of the Kochhar family in all its tumultuous and extravagant existence. As a multi-generational tale, the novel follows the lives of the young and the old, striving to stay relevant in the age of casual hookups and social media driven popularity. When there’s a wedding in the family, all the Kochhars get together only to be reminded of just how volatile their relations are.
The synopsis and the cover had me so excited to read this book because it sounded like one hell of an entertaining dramedy. And up until the first half, I was having such fun reading about this family that is so blinded by their desire to be the center of attention, that they are wont to ostentation and social fallacies. After the first half is when all the time leaps come into play. We follow the same characters at a later point in their lives, say a few months or a year later. But because this time distinction isn’t overtly specified, I felt puzzled. If the author had thrown in a couple of markers indicating “10 months later” or “2 years later”, it would have largely helped my reading experience.
Moving on, Rohan Dahiya’s writing style is a perfect combination of descriptions and dialogue. He definitely has a knack for writing dramatic scenes. All of the fight sequences were somehow hilarious. And as it tends to be with large families, the different characters added something to the predicament, making the situation chaotic. I love books about families because then there are many characters connected to each other in some way or the other and this book too has a lot of characters, each of their stories being different than the other, interesting in its entirety.
While Sana is grappling with a breakup, Surya is coming to terms with the decisions she is making and Vir works away from home, keeping his profession and personal life at arms length from the rest of the Kochhar family for fear of their disapproval. The parents, Hassan, Geetika and Kama have their own burdens to bear and are at times, governed by their insecurities. On the surface, some of these characters appear to be superficial, lashing out at each other and keeping their true selves hidden. You begin to wonder if they are beyond redemption, but somewhere along the line, there are changes to their personalities.
Without a doubt, I enjoyed reading this book because of the stories that were being told; however in the middle, I was thrown off track by the narrative technique.
Ratings – 3.25 out of 5 stars
What do you get out of it? A peak into the minds of characters overpowered by their need to be accepted. And mainly, the story of a flawed family that reunites time and again.
Thank you Bloomsbury India for sending me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
The synopsis and the cover had me so excited to read this book because it sounded like one hell of an entertaining dramedy. And up until the first half, I was having such fun reading about this family that is so blinded by their desire to be the center of attention, that they are wont to ostentation and social fallacies. After the first half is when all the time leaps come into play. We follow the same characters at a later point in their lives, say a few months or a year later. But because this time distinction isn’t overtly specified, I felt puzzled. If the author had thrown in a couple of markers indicating “10 months later” or “2 years later”, it would have largely helped my reading experience.
Moving on, Rohan Dahiya’s writing style is a perfect combination of descriptions and dialogue. He definitely has a knack for writing dramatic scenes. All of the fight sequences were somehow hilarious. And as it tends to be with large families, the different characters added something to the predicament, making the situation chaotic. I love books about families because then there are many characters connected to each other in some way or the other and this book too has a lot of characters, each of their stories being different than the other, interesting in its entirety.
While Sana is grappling with a breakup, Surya is coming to terms with the decisions she is making and Vir works away from home, keeping his profession and personal life at arms length from the rest of the Kochhar family for fear of their disapproval. The parents, Hassan, Geetika and Kama have their own burdens to bear and are at times, governed by their insecurities. On the surface, some of these characters appear to be superficial, lashing out at each other and keeping their true selves hidden. You begin to wonder if they are beyond redemption, but somewhere along the line, there are changes to their personalities.
Without a doubt, I enjoyed reading this book because of the stories that were being told; however in the middle, I was thrown off track by the narrative technique.
Ratings – 3.25 out of 5 stars
What do you get out of it? A peak into the minds of characters overpowered by their need to be accepted. And mainly, the story of a flawed family that reunites time and again.
Thank you Bloomsbury India for sending me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
May 25, 2018
Also Posted on For The Love of Fictional Worlds
Disclaimer: A physical copy was provided via Bloomsbury India as part of the Blog Tour. The Thoughts, opinions & feelings expressed in the review are however my own.
You know what my guilty pleasures are? Binge watching drama TV Shows that have me addicted to their constant drama, insane antics, and their entitlement of world’s pleasures – but when you get that exact social drama in a written format? How could I ever pass it up!
The Bitter Pill Social Club is the story of the Kocchar Family; the whose who of the Page 3 family – and it took only a few of their over the top insane chapters to get me right there on their impractical hokums!
The plot threw quite a few curve balls that I didn’t expect and that seriously threw my mojo off the track; but I have got to admit that was a brilliant stroke by the author – for it might have become stagnant with all the antics, no matter how hilarious and satirical they maybe.
So, the fact, that Mr. Dahiya was able to keep my attention hooked throughout all the antics of ever day of Kocchar Family was quite commendable; especially considering that the lives of three generations were woven brilliantly intricately into the plot!
The writing of the author is the foundation of this book – he has made the lives of a family; a family whose frolics fill this book in a way that have not only exasperated, but also giggling and rooting for the characters right till the end!
The only flaw I could find was that while the I definitely enjoyed the characters and their antics – yet the character growth in them through the plot was quite choppy. It could have been avoided even with a little bit of background into the time passed between one plotline to the other!
The Bitter Pill Social Club, is the kind of a book, you would love getting lost into; for you would no choice since it is an addictive, yet hysterical look at how we commoners believe the wealthy people live their lives (though hopefully theirs is a bit more boring than the fictional Kocchar family :P).
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May 16, 2018
Check full review at : http://www.vidhyathakkar.com/bookrevi...
The Bitter Pill Social Club is a story of Kocchar family, a rich and famous, people,e whose life is on Instagram. Rohan Dahiya had made it a wonderful read, full of humour, amazing dialogues and a book full of Drama. I first, thought it was a basic story, but then, I was completely wrong.
The plot had so many twists and turns and it was an engaging read. Though There are multiple subplots in this book, shifting characters, places, which confused me. It was confusing to figure out what was going, at some point. The only thing that hooked me with the book was there were humour and lots of funny moments. There were various themes that I witnessed. Some of them are Love, betrayal, relationships, family drama, friendship, jealousy, Divorce, disappointment and lot more.
The structure was good but then in the middle, after few chapters, the main plotline completely disappeared and it was really confusing. The narration of the story is good. It is detailed and crisp. The flow of the story is also smooth. The story is fast-paced and full of laughter. The language used by the author is hilarious. Loved how he expressed each and every emotion. A simple, crisp and interesting language is used by the author. One can instantly connect with the story. This book is a fun read.
The characters that the author made are strong and each one of them had their own importance. The character building done by the author was impressive. This book has unlimited gossips, catfights, fake friends, luxury brands, some Europe trips, late night parties, drives, and lots of craziness.
The Kocchar family is one of the most entertaining family. If you are looking for something fun reading. this book is for you.
The Bitter Pill Social Club is a story of Kocchar family, a rich and famous, people,e whose life is on Instagram. Rohan Dahiya had made it a wonderful read, full of humour, amazing dialogues and a book full of Drama. I first, thought it was a basic story, but then, I was completely wrong.
The plot had so many twists and turns and it was an engaging read. Though There are multiple subplots in this book, shifting characters, places, which confused me. It was confusing to figure out what was going, at some point. The only thing that hooked me with the book was there were humour and lots of funny moments. There were various themes that I witnessed. Some of them are Love, betrayal, relationships, family drama, friendship, jealousy, Divorce, disappointment and lot more.
The structure was good but then in the middle, after few chapters, the main plotline completely disappeared and it was really confusing. The narration of the story is good. It is detailed and crisp. The flow of the story is also smooth. The story is fast-paced and full of laughter. The language used by the author is hilarious. Loved how he expressed each and every emotion. A simple, crisp and interesting language is used by the author. One can instantly connect with the story. This book is a fun read.
The characters that the author made are strong and each one of them had their own importance. The character building done by the author was impressive. This book has unlimited gossips, catfights, fake friends, luxury brands, some Europe trips, late night parties, drives, and lots of craziness.
The Kocchar family is one of the most entertaining family. If you are looking for something fun reading. this book is for you.
July 22, 2019
Honestly, if you see the book as a collection of short stories then each chapter being one short story is really good. It's entertaining and right when you expect something the author throws a curve ball making it go completely unpredictably. But if you ask me to think of it as a whole book, I really don't know what to say. One huge source of frustration for me was, recalling who is who. There are new characters introduced in every alternate chapter and then they become the centre of the story, we learn what they were doing, their relationship woes, who they cheated on with etc and then bam next chapter and there's a new couple with their own issues. It's like a soap opera or watching a family/ neighbourhood's scandals not knowing who is related to who. After a point as the characters are not re-introduced in between when the author is telling about someone new you lose track of who is who's daughter, and which one is the ex husband, ex bf as there is a lot happening in the book, plus similar sounding names don't help the case. Good thing is, it promises to be juicy, surprising, full of entertaining gossip just like any 'socialite' group of people is. Writing is terrific, I just hoped the characters were introduced/ written in a manner that the family tree would be clearly ingrained in the reader's mind. And for me personally that is something I cannot overlook in a book, the confusion and frustration was a huge turn off. It's like finishing Deathly Hallows without knowing that Tom Riddle is Voldemort's real name.
December 27, 2018
Exposing the hilarious and satirical life of the Instagram famous and the frequent club-goers, The Bitter Pill Social Club is an invite to unlimited gossip and lots of craziness.
The story starts with a young woman getting dumped by her boyfriend who has been diagnosed with AIDS. Although I didn't find the premise to be that funny but surely Rohan Dahiya's writing style gives a humorous edge to the whole story. Multiple characters with their sub-plots makes this book a very engaging read. If you are looking for something fun and scandalous to read, then look no further. Rohan Dahiya's latest is the solution.
I did observe some major issues with the book which I am sure, if perfected, would have made this book an even better read.
The structure of the book was highly confused as if the author couldn't decide whether to take the hilarious approach or the more insightful one, whether to take a character based story line or a time-based one. By the fifth or sixth chapter, I was taken aback by the complete disappearance of a proper plot line and that really disappointed me. Even the development of the characters felt flawed and amiss and that was a major downside to the story.
Nevertheless it was an enjoyable read and I am sure it helped me recover from the dark mood that I was in having read all the dreary literary fictions the past few weeks.
The story starts with a young woman getting dumped by her boyfriend who has been diagnosed with AIDS. Although I didn't find the premise to be that funny but surely Rohan Dahiya's writing style gives a humorous edge to the whole story. Multiple characters with their sub-plots makes this book a very engaging read. If you are looking for something fun and scandalous to read, then look no further. Rohan Dahiya's latest is the solution.
I did observe some major issues with the book which I am sure, if perfected, would have made this book an even better read.
The structure of the book was highly confused as if the author couldn't decide whether to take the hilarious approach or the more insightful one, whether to take a character based story line or a time-based one. By the fifth or sixth chapter, I was taken aback by the complete disappearance of a proper plot line and that really disappointed me. Even the development of the characters felt flawed and amiss and that was a major downside to the story.
Nevertheless it was an enjoyable read and I am sure it helped me recover from the dark mood that I was in having read all the dreary literary fictions the past few weeks.
May 31, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5
The Bitter Pill Social Club is an Indian contemporary fiction that tells the story of the Kochhars, the rich and crazy family. The book reads like a satirical TV drama on the rich and famous that tells us the shenanigans of the various family members, the fights, the break ups, the make ups, a big fat indian wedding, it has got it all.
I loved everything about it, the cover, the title, the blurb. It seemed like the read that you dive into to forget your own problems and watch the characters get a go at theirs. This book was exactly that, the plot revolves around the lives of the Kochhars, the spoilt brats of Delhi. It has a multitude of characters whose stories interlap each other’s. We have the social media queen, the undermined bestfriend, the confused cousin, a couple with a broken marriage, an old man who misses his family, the ever angry daughter and the agoraphobic with an unfortunate past. All the characters come with their own dramas and over the topness but underneath all that they will remind you of people in your own houses, cause at the end of the day they’re one big crazy family just like everybody else’s, well with an added dosage of drama that is.
Rohan Dahiya’s writing is what’s a highlight for this book, it alternates between conversation and description. The narrative is easy to follow and is quite humorous at times. The book itself doesn’t seem to have a particular plot direction but instead reads like a documentary of the family which actually works very well. It easily pulls you in and makes you get hooked on the family rivalries, the fights, the romantic relationships and all the flair that comes with being rich. I mean I couldn’t put down the book for the last hundred pages or so, it had me laughing and gasping all at the same time.
What was a major minus of my reading experience though was the lack of a proper timeline and the abrupt changes in POVs, it had me super confused on many occasions throughout my reading of the book. But I did like getting the various perspectives and I think my rating for this book would have definitely been higher if the structure of the narrative was a bit more proper and clearer. The over the top dramatics also had me cringing at times.
Well, over all I did enjoy reading about this messed up and crazy family. I suggest you give it a read when you need a little pick me up or it would also make for a good vacation read.
The Bitter Pill Social Club is an Indian contemporary fiction that tells the story of the Kochhars, the rich and crazy family. The book reads like a satirical TV drama on the rich and famous that tells us the shenanigans of the various family members, the fights, the break ups, the make ups, a big fat indian wedding, it has got it all.
I loved everything about it, the cover, the title, the blurb. It seemed like the read that you dive into to forget your own problems and watch the characters get a go at theirs. This book was exactly that, the plot revolves around the lives of the Kochhars, the spoilt brats of Delhi. It has a multitude of characters whose stories interlap each other’s. We have the social media queen, the undermined bestfriend, the confused cousin, a couple with a broken marriage, an old man who misses his family, the ever angry daughter and the agoraphobic with an unfortunate past. All the characters come with their own dramas and over the topness but underneath all that they will remind you of people in your own houses, cause at the end of the day they’re one big crazy family just like everybody else’s, well with an added dosage of drama that is.
Rohan Dahiya’s writing is what’s a highlight for this book, it alternates between conversation and description. The narrative is easy to follow and is quite humorous at times. The book itself doesn’t seem to have a particular plot direction but instead reads like a documentary of the family which actually works very well. It easily pulls you in and makes you get hooked on the family rivalries, the fights, the romantic relationships and all the flair that comes with being rich. I mean I couldn’t put down the book for the last hundred pages or so, it had me laughing and gasping all at the same time.
What was a major minus of my reading experience though was the lack of a proper timeline and the abrupt changes in POVs, it had me super confused on many occasions throughout my reading of the book. But I did like getting the various perspectives and I think my rating for this book would have definitely been higher if the structure of the narrative was a bit more proper and clearer. The over the top dramatics also had me cringing at times.
Well, over all I did enjoy reading about this messed up and crazy family. I suggest you give it a read when you need a little pick me up or it would also make for a good vacation read.
May 29, 2018
The Bitter Pill Social Club is a book that brings into the spotlight the private lives of the members of the Kocchar family- the family which is the talk of the town. Theirs is a world full of gossip mongers, flirts and Instagram freaks. Capable of making eyes turn, every member of the Kocchar family is the centre of attraction.
They are the ones who walk right pass the club lines, who get what they want before they ask for it. Laughing, talking, dancing, drinking and random flings is all that their lives revolve around. They are the ones who put on no-makeup-makeup and have backup phones with Instagram posts already scheduled. The young and the adult are all alike in the Kocchar family. Breakup, Divorce, Hookup, Cuckoldry and nervous breakdown, the Kocchars have every possible problem in their own family.
As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch’s constant judgement.Comedy, romance, tragedy, grotesque and satire, all packed together, The Bitter Pill Socal Club is a modern day comedy of manners.
My Verdict
The book has a very enticing cover and blurb. They make you dig into the book right away. And once you’re into this book, you’ll find it irresistible. This book has one of the most arresting openings I’ve ever read. Rohan Dahiya shows us how these people live in a very shallow world where they’re blinded by their own stardom.
Since the initial chapters focus on Sana and her social as well love life, I thought perhaps Sana is the protagonist. But as it tuned out, there is no protagonist in the book. The book focusses on all the members of the Kocchar family. It is important to understand this thing so as not to get disappointed when focus shifts from Sana to other characters.
I took it to be Sana’s story and it took me some time to understand that the book was about the whole family and not Sana alone. The Kocchars are a big family and so there are a lot of characters and each of them has their own problems. So I (along with the most readers) found it difficult to make sense of what was going on. Like the Kocchars’ lives, the plot is also messy and chaotic.
Although the plot lacks unity, this problem never became an issue for me. The reason being Rohan Dahiya’s powerful writing. The dialogues were simply amazing and those fight sequences are ridiculous and so fun to read. The tongue in the cheek writing is what I loved the most and that according to me is the strength of this book.
Besides the problem with the plot, I had issues with the change in perspective. These shifts are not at all smooth and it is only after having read a full paragraph that you realize the shift in perspective. But these things matter little when one is completely engrossed in the book.
The author has to be commended for moving beyond the usual genres and writing such a powerful satire. I also admire the author for the ending that he gave to this novel. It could not have had a better ending. The experience that this book provided will be a memorable one. Certainly, this is a book not to be missed.
My Rating: **** (3.8/5)
originally published on Https://booksnmyself.wordpress.com
They are the ones who walk right pass the club lines, who get what they want before they ask for it. Laughing, talking, dancing, drinking and random flings is all that their lives revolve around. They are the ones who put on no-makeup-makeup and have backup phones with Instagram posts already scheduled. The young and the adult are all alike in the Kocchar family. Breakup, Divorce, Hookup, Cuckoldry and nervous breakdown, the Kocchars have every possible problem in their own family.
As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch’s constant judgement.Comedy, romance, tragedy, grotesque and satire, all packed together, The Bitter Pill Socal Club is a modern day comedy of manners.
My Verdict
The book has a very enticing cover and blurb. They make you dig into the book right away. And once you’re into this book, you’ll find it irresistible. This book has one of the most arresting openings I’ve ever read. Rohan Dahiya shows us how these people live in a very shallow world where they’re blinded by their own stardom.
Since the initial chapters focus on Sana and her social as well love life, I thought perhaps Sana is the protagonist. But as it tuned out, there is no protagonist in the book. The book focusses on all the members of the Kocchar family. It is important to understand this thing so as not to get disappointed when focus shifts from Sana to other characters.
I took it to be Sana’s story and it took me some time to understand that the book was about the whole family and not Sana alone. The Kocchars are a big family and so there are a lot of characters and each of them has their own problems. So I (along with the most readers) found it difficult to make sense of what was going on. Like the Kocchars’ lives, the plot is also messy and chaotic.
Although the plot lacks unity, this problem never became an issue for me. The reason being Rohan Dahiya’s powerful writing. The dialogues were simply amazing and those fight sequences are ridiculous and so fun to read. The tongue in the cheek writing is what I loved the most and that according to me is the strength of this book.
Besides the problem with the plot, I had issues with the change in perspective. These shifts are not at all smooth and it is only after having read a full paragraph that you realize the shift in perspective. But these things matter little when one is completely engrossed in the book.
The author has to be commended for moving beyond the usual genres and writing such a powerful satire. I also admire the author for the ending that he gave to this novel. It could not have had a better ending. The experience that this book provided will be a memorable one. Certainly, this is a book not to be missed.
My Rating: **** (3.8/5)
originally published on Https://booksnmyself.wordpress.com
May 30, 2018
Starting the book, what I realized was first, it is a very relatable book for those who know what Delhi is like and secondly, this book is for those who want a light read and those who understand the high society craziness. This book talks about Kocchar family which is a typically rich and famous, people whose life is on Social Media. It is like one of those kinda stories where you see high-class society going to Europe to have shopping days, meetings with designers, affairs, and fake friends. I mean who goes to Europe just to buy few clothes?! I was rather surprised a little when I started with this book.
The characters are really well described and placed throughout the book. Reading it, you will find it totally relatable Delhi cliches attached to which I think the author Rohan Dahiya has done beautifully. The storyline starts with a fast-paced notion but once it hits towards the middle of the story, the monotony kinda swells up. One thing which I found a little blah was the ending, it was rather way too much abrupt. Although the good thing about Sana’s cousin getting married to the man she loves, that part was a happy ending but about the main protagonist, Sunaina, that part was a bit abrupt. I kinda assumed something coming out of it but I was wrong.
The best part about the book for me is definitely the Cover. Just a plain simple black and it literally took my breath away. I instantly fell in love with it and that actually made me read the book and obviously the title, The Bitter Pill Social Club. The title, once you finish reading the book, you can actually relate to it far much better and then you will understand why the author chose this title for his story. I liked this book at certain places else for me this was a one time read.
The characters are really well described and placed throughout the book. Reading it, you will find it totally relatable Delhi cliches attached to which I think the author Rohan Dahiya has done beautifully. The storyline starts with a fast-paced notion but once it hits towards the middle of the story, the monotony kinda swells up. One thing which I found a little blah was the ending, it was rather way too much abrupt. Although the good thing about Sana’s cousin getting married to the man she loves, that part was a happy ending but about the main protagonist, Sunaina, that part was a bit abrupt. I kinda assumed something coming out of it but I was wrong.
The best part about the book for me is definitely the Cover. Just a plain simple black and it literally took my breath away. I instantly fell in love with it and that actually made me read the book and obviously the title, The Bitter Pill Social Club. The title, once you finish reading the book, you can actually relate to it far much better and then you will understand why the author chose this title for his story. I liked this book at certain places else for me this was a one time read.
May 31, 2018
We all are aware of what goes inside a high society but only superficially. This book shows us every bit of insight that I could or could not imagine going inside a high society 'treat'.
The book is based on Kochkar Family drama. I'm quite surprised when this book didn't turn out as I expected it to. This genre is totally new for me and damn, I loved it. This book is muti-genre and is beautifully written. It was like watching/reading a Indian daily soap with added masala.
This book has many characters, like seriously a lot and applaud author for not mixing them up. He has gracefully written each characters giving their needed limelight. The plot is full of twists and turns. You won't be able to catch your breath and there will be another twist waiting for you. This kept the book interesting and unstoppable to read.
Now, I liked this book but as everyone else stated it lost somewhere in the middle. I was so confused with the time change that I nearly dropped it for a while. Apart from that, this book is hilarious, witty and full of inside gossips.
P.S. LOOK AT THAT COVER PAGE!
The book is based on Kochkar Family drama. I'm quite surprised when this book didn't turn out as I expected it to. This genre is totally new for me and damn, I loved it. This book is muti-genre and is beautifully written. It was like watching/reading a Indian daily soap with added masala.
This book has many characters, like seriously a lot and applaud author for not mixing them up. He has gracefully written each characters giving their needed limelight. The plot is full of twists and turns. You won't be able to catch your breath and there will be another twist waiting for you. This kept the book interesting and unstoppable to read.
Now, I liked this book but as everyone else stated it lost somewhere in the middle. I was so confused with the time change that I nearly dropped it for a while. Apart from that, this book is hilarious, witty and full of inside gossips.
P.S. LOOK AT THAT COVER PAGE!
August 3, 2020
Dahiya's second novel is like a spinning top. You see the narrative begin to spin in an orderly fashion: stories of the absurdly wealthy Dilli-set. Then, the plot begins moving erratically back and forth: there's a pattern, but it forces the reader to really concentrate on the concentric circles being drawn before them, to focus on the moments of intersection to see the stories being woven. And, finally, the top comes clattering down onto the table in a triumphant ending.
This style of storytelling is something Dahiya employed to great effect in his debut Grey Skies. However, a few years of maturation shows in the way he was able to develop said style to tell the woeful tales of the glittering social class of India's capital.
I was tempted to remove one star for the author's trashing of my favorite little boutique, but have decided to pretend it was the character saying such hateful things, instead.
In summary, Dahiya's imaginative and daring approach to plot and character analysis makes this a challenging but overall successful sophomore novel. I look forward to his next examination of the lives of the young and the hopelessly restless.
This style of storytelling is something Dahiya employed to great effect in his debut Grey Skies. However, a few years of maturation shows in the way he was able to develop said style to tell the woeful tales of the glittering social class of India's capital.
I was tempted to remove one star for the author's trashing of my favorite little boutique, but have decided to pretend it was the character saying such hateful things, instead.
In summary, Dahiya's imaginative and daring approach to plot and character analysis makes this a challenging but overall successful sophomore novel. I look forward to his next examination of the lives of the young and the hopelessly restless.
June 1, 2018
The Bitter Pill Social Club is the story of elite Kochhar clan, a dysfunctional family full of garbage people with their own share of dirty secrets,leg pulling sessions and bawling scenes. Kochhar siblings and their children move in the page 3 parties bitching,snorting white powder,flying to distant land for retail therapy and nose diving into series of flings. They find solace in meeting designers and wild parties. The patriarch Asim Kochhar constantly tries to patch up the deep crevices in his family but nurses a heartburn when come across the chaos at home-front.
"I have failed in raising you all because these spoil brats in front of me aren't what I raised.You're all fucking imbeciles,it's a joke that you think you deserve any respect in life."
The Kochhar children suffer from their own dilemmas living a confused horribly messed life which gets more tangled with time.Just few pages in the book I got attached to their insane antics and bawling scenes.I often found myself in splits with people eyeing me curiously.The author has kept the language crisp and simple and the narration is fast paced.He has beautifully handled the multitude of characters underlining their insecurities,false life,dying a little everyday with their truth enclosed in the drapes of darkness.The characters with their colorful shade exposed the bitter truths of high society.His knack of drama can be easily observed through the dramatic lines he belted out in all the subplots and the humorous tinge of clamoring sessions.
'It's the same talk,same mouth, with a shift in settings between bars that cling to their forced aesthetic with the same desperation that people meet with-the hunger for a connection.'
The shift of focus from a character to other without any prior declaration often left me perplexed. Characters were thrown in face in every few pages often made it difficult to make out Who's who.It severely affected the connectivity to the story-line.The climax felt quite hurried While few characters had a happy ending,the fate of some confused soul were left grappling midair.Lack of proper arrangement of chain of thoughts often dampened the pace of the tale.
I would recommend the book if you want to laugh loud and read about bat shit crazy people.I want to thank the publisher #bloomsbury for the review copy in exchange of honest review.This review is a part of #thebitterpillsocialclub book blog tour organised by #bloomsbury.
Check out the book here: https://amzn.to/2JhRwQJ
"I have failed in raising you all because these spoil brats in front of me aren't what I raised.You're all fucking imbeciles,it's a joke that you think you deserve any respect in life."
The Kochhar children suffer from their own dilemmas living a confused horribly messed life which gets more tangled with time.Just few pages in the book I got attached to their insane antics and bawling scenes.I often found myself in splits with people eyeing me curiously.The author has kept the language crisp and simple and the narration is fast paced.He has beautifully handled the multitude of characters underlining their insecurities,false life,dying a little everyday with their truth enclosed in the drapes of darkness.The characters with their colorful shade exposed the bitter truths of high society.His knack of drama can be easily observed through the dramatic lines he belted out in all the subplots and the humorous tinge of clamoring sessions.
'It's the same talk,same mouth, with a shift in settings between bars that cling to their forced aesthetic with the same desperation that people meet with-the hunger for a connection.'
The shift of focus from a character to other without any prior declaration often left me perplexed. Characters were thrown in face in every few pages often made it difficult to make out Who's who.It severely affected the connectivity to the story-line.The climax felt quite hurried While few characters had a happy ending,the fate of some confused soul were left grappling midair.Lack of proper arrangement of chain of thoughts often dampened the pace of the tale.
I would recommend the book if you want to laugh loud and read about bat shit crazy people.I want to thank the publisher #bloomsbury for the review copy in exchange of honest review.This review is a part of #thebitterpillsocialclub book blog tour organised by #bloomsbury.
Check out the book here: https://amzn.to/2JhRwQJ
June 7, 2018
If you are a Delhiite , you already know about "whom" this book is about.
Introducing to you , The Kocchar Family , the social media fanatics , the "whose-who" of Page 3. You'll always find them updating every second of their life on Instagram - parties , shopping , drinks and drugs. But what goes behind that "bitchy face" and "Instagram pictures" ?
The cover is what caught my attention and if not for the plot , I would have definitely picked this up for the cover. The synopsis is quite intriguing and I loved the whole concept of the book. Right from page one , the book kept me entertained and flipping pages . It was hilarious and entertaining to witness all the drama that these "instagrammy" families go through and since I have personally known such people it got all the more entertaining for me. But just right in the middle , the plot felt a little complex and confusing. The characters take a leap , probably a few good months and I lost track of what was going on in the story. I had to re-check if my copy was missing a few pages but it wasn't. However , a few more pages in and it all went just about fine. I just feel that the author should have thrown a few extra lines "Some Months Later" something like that here and there to make it a little more flowly.
Coming to the writing style , the author nailed in the gripping and entertaining sector. No where did the plot (because of the writing) got boring or uninteresting. The scenes are hilariously dramatic and it's soo fun reading all the family drama. A huge family with soo many characters , the plot never got confusing in characterization as each character stands out from the author and is given proper and equal share in the story. The characters are relatable and you can find them around you.
A total family-oriented saga with lots of drama , alcohol and parties pick this one up right away for an entertaining read. I wouldn't be very surprised if I see The Bitter Pill Social Club being adapted as a Bollywood movie.
Introducing to you , The Kocchar Family , the social media fanatics , the "whose-who" of Page 3. You'll always find them updating every second of their life on Instagram - parties , shopping , drinks and drugs. But what goes behind that "bitchy face" and "Instagram pictures" ?
The cover is what caught my attention and if not for the plot , I would have definitely picked this up for the cover. The synopsis is quite intriguing and I loved the whole concept of the book. Right from page one , the book kept me entertained and flipping pages . It was hilarious and entertaining to witness all the drama that these "instagrammy" families go through and since I have personally known such people it got all the more entertaining for me. But just right in the middle , the plot felt a little complex and confusing. The characters take a leap , probably a few good months and I lost track of what was going on in the story. I had to re-check if my copy was missing a few pages but it wasn't. However , a few more pages in and it all went just about fine. I just feel that the author should have thrown a few extra lines "Some Months Later" something like that here and there to make it a little more flowly.
Coming to the writing style , the author nailed in the gripping and entertaining sector. No where did the plot (because of the writing) got boring or uninteresting. The scenes are hilariously dramatic and it's soo fun reading all the family drama. A huge family with soo many characters , the plot never got confusing in characterization as each character stands out from the author and is given proper and equal share in the story. The characters are relatable and you can find them around you.
A total family-oriented saga with lots of drama , alcohol and parties pick this one up right away for an entertaining read. I wouldn't be very surprised if I see The Bitter Pill Social Club being adapted as a Bollywood movie.
August 2, 2018
This is a bad book. I was lost after a point in time with regards to who is related to whom, who are friends, who is family, etc. Additionally, when there are multiple characters speaking to each other in a scene, which is many times in the book, it gets so difficult to understand who is saying what. This book could have used multiple edits.
It’s like the author wanted to cover every Delhi stereotype possible that we’re familiar with from other literature or movie: wannabe starlet, person with daddy problems, underage girl having sex and getting pregnant and an abortion, a woman getting gang-raped, the man of the house who was in the army, parents who are okay with others being homosexual but no one in their family can be one. Name one stereotype, I’ll bet it’s in this book.
Vir’s storyline really got to me, firstly because
Also, I was waiting for a huge bomb to go off at the end considering how much time the author spends at build-up. And while many revelations happen, they’re all so boring or expected. There’s absolutely no payoff.
I’ve explained most of my other problems above. The characters are irritating, not entertaining, lots of plots are just left stranded towards the end with the moral of the story apparently being
It’s like the author wanted to cover every Delhi stereotype possible that we’re familiar with from other literature or movie: wannabe starlet, person with daddy problems, underage girl having sex and getting pregnant and an abortion, a woman getting gang-raped, the man of the house who was in the army, parents who are okay with others being homosexual but no one in their family can be one. Name one stereotype, I’ll bet it’s in this book.
Vir’s storyline really got to me, firstly because
Also, I was waiting for a huge bomb to go off at the end considering how much time the author spends at build-up. And while many revelations happen, they’re all so boring or expected. There’s absolutely no payoff.
I’ve explained most of my other problems above. The characters are irritating, not entertaining, lots of plots are just left stranded towards the end with the moral of the story apparently being
June 9, 2018
First, the annoying typos and other errors are jarring. Not the writers fault but the publishers should really have been more vigilant. Second, the writing is inconsistent. The writer seems to have a feverish need to incorporate as many millennial-isms as possible. I consider my $9.99 wasted, please save yours.
October 8, 2018
Did not enjoy this book much ... it would have been lovely to have a stronger grasp on vocabulary ... A few of the moments felt very stretched ...
June 27, 2018
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"I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review."
"There is a certain freedom that comes with shedding your older self, sadly it's one of those specifically indescribable things about life that exists in the no man's land of feeling and the absence of it."
- Rohan Dahiya, The Bitter Pill Social Club
One thing that I can say about The Bitter Pill Social Club with utmost certainty is that the book was extremely messed up. And even now, when I write the review a good week after reading the book, I'm not sure whether that's something good or bad. However, what I do know is that although the characters were very smartly portrayed, there were many loopholes in the story. A lot many times, it appeared to me that the author deliberately left out a few parts in the story, making the reader feel left-out. Maybe it was because he wasn't sure whether he would be able to write the scenes as the reader ought to know and that is why they ended up reaching the reader in bits and pieces. But, that's only what I think.
Now to the characters. Perhaps I'm being too critical but they lacked a certain depth to them. The families appeared to be the stereotypical rich family that thinks it's better than the rest. And such characters often lack depth in their own sense, which makes them hard to portray. So I won't really blame Dahiya for this. He did a good job for a complex task as this was.
Dahiya's writing, on the other hand, reminded me a lot of John Green's writing and to be honest, I'm not a fan. [However, if you like Green, then I can say that there is a fair chance you'd love this one, too. Do give it a try in that case.]
Then, the book also ended up reminding me of the Bollywood films, Kapoor and Sons (since 1921) and Dil Dhadakne Do. Maybe that is because of all the family drama, or maybe there was something else that I'm unable to put my finger down on it. But there was definitely something there.
Now onto the story, The Bitter Pill Social Club is about this rich family that has so many complications in itself. So much chaos, so much attitude, so many...well, unanswered questions. I won't say that I particularly liked this book for what it was, but I didn't hate it either.
It revolved around the Kochhar family, which consisted of the Commander (the grandfather), his three kids — Kama, Hassan and Geetika, Tina (Hassan's spouse), Dev (Geetika's spouse), Sunaina (Hassan's daughter), Surya (Geetika's daughter), Vir (Geetika's son), Gayatri (Geetika's step-daughter) and Ria (Kama's daughter). The major parts of the story were covered by the kids, but there were incidents where the elders played an important role as well. It displayed how the kids turned out the way they did. All in all though, it was a pretty messed up family, filled with all this drama that came along with fame and money.
What I didn't like was how the time lapsed so easily in their world. The reader was out of the loop from each character's life for so long that he/she ended up wondering. "How did this happen?" Or well, at least that was my reaction.
However, at the end (like I already mentioned), it left me some good many unanswered questions:
1. How did Gayatri forgive Sana so easily after all that Sana said?
2. Why was there so little of Ria?
3. Why did Sana not create a fuss when Surya stole all her ideas, like she was literally supposed to? Or well, why did she not even say a word except a general remark?
4. Why does no one question what Leela was doing in the middle of the night in Kama's bedroom?
5. What happened when Sunaina spent her time with the Commander?
6. When did Surya fall in love with her fiance? How did they end up deciding to get married?
7. Where did Ankit get lost?
There were so many questions, and so many answers that were needed. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if the book was meant to have a plethora of characters then at least, each character should have been given as much attention. Otherwise, it was a good read for a quick amount of time.
Nonetheless, it is filled with drama and for any dramebaaz out there, this could be your next favorite. You can buy it here, now: Amazon link
"I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review."
"There is a certain freedom that comes with shedding your older self, sadly it's one of those specifically indescribable things about life that exists in the no man's land of feeling and the absence of it."
- Rohan Dahiya, The Bitter Pill Social Club
One thing that I can say about The Bitter Pill Social Club with utmost certainty is that the book was extremely messed up. And even now, when I write the review a good week after reading the book, I'm not sure whether that's something good or bad. However, what I do know is that although the characters were very smartly portrayed, there were many loopholes in the story. A lot many times, it appeared to me that the author deliberately left out a few parts in the story, making the reader feel left-out. Maybe it was because he wasn't sure whether he would be able to write the scenes as the reader ought to know and that is why they ended up reaching the reader in bits and pieces. But, that's only what I think.
Now to the characters. Perhaps I'm being too critical but they lacked a certain depth to them. The families appeared to be the stereotypical rich family that thinks it's better than the rest. And such characters often lack depth in their own sense, which makes them hard to portray. So I won't really blame Dahiya for this. He did a good job for a complex task as this was.
Dahiya's writing, on the other hand, reminded me a lot of John Green's writing and to be honest, I'm not a fan. [However, if you like Green, then I can say that there is a fair chance you'd love this one, too. Do give it a try in that case.]
Then, the book also ended up reminding me of the Bollywood films, Kapoor and Sons (since 1921) and Dil Dhadakne Do. Maybe that is because of all the family drama, or maybe there was something else that I'm unable to put my finger down on it. But there was definitely something there.
Now onto the story, The Bitter Pill Social Club is about this rich family that has so many complications in itself. So much chaos, so much attitude, so many...well, unanswered questions. I won't say that I particularly liked this book for what it was, but I didn't hate it either.
It revolved around the Kochhar family, which consisted of the Commander (the grandfather), his three kids — Kama, Hassan and Geetika, Tina (Hassan's spouse), Dev (Geetika's spouse), Sunaina (Hassan's daughter), Surya (Geetika's daughter), Vir (Geetika's son), Gayatri (Geetika's step-daughter) and Ria (Kama's daughter). The major parts of the story were covered by the kids, but there were incidents where the elders played an important role as well. It displayed how the kids turned out the way they did. All in all though, it was a pretty messed up family, filled with all this drama that came along with fame and money.
What I didn't like was how the time lapsed so easily in their world. The reader was out of the loop from each character's life for so long that he/she ended up wondering. "How did this happen?" Or well, at least that was my reaction.
However, at the end (like I already mentioned), it left me some good many unanswered questions:
1. How did Gayatri forgive Sana so easily after all that Sana said?
2. Why was there so little of Ria?
3. Why did Sana not create a fuss when Surya stole all her ideas, like she was literally supposed to? Or well, why did she not even say a word except a general remark?
4. Why does no one question what Leela was doing in the middle of the night in Kama's bedroom?
5. What happened when Sunaina spent her time with the Commander?
6. When did Surya fall in love with her fiance? How did they end up deciding to get married?
7. Where did Ankit get lost?
There were so many questions, and so many answers that were needed. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if the book was meant to have a plethora of characters then at least, each character should have been given as much attention. Otherwise, it was a good read for a quick amount of time.
Nonetheless, it is filled with drama and for any dramebaaz out there, this could be your next favorite. You can buy it here, now: Amazon link
May 31, 2018
Bitter Pill Social Club.
Rohan Dahiya.
2018. Pp- 308.
Bloomsbury India
Blurb:
You know exactly who they are. The ones who walk right past club lines, who get what they want before they ask for it. It's a familiar cast : the centre of attention, the shameless flirt, the loudmouth, the narcissistic writer. You've seen them all. You've felt their Gucci-annointed aura. Laughing and dancing. Kissing the wrong people at the wrong time. Swaying to their own beat. Going out every night that they're sad. Finding solace in the crowd in a city paved with mildly good intentions and cocaine lines. A city of smooth talkers, armchair activists, and the rich brats of Instagram. A place to talk pop spirituality and purple prose in connoisseur-only jazz clubs. The Bitter Pill Social Club takes a look at the lives of the Kochhar family, who find themselves drifting apart in the city of djinns, gins, and fake friends wrapped up in cigarette smoke. As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch's constant judgement. Divorce, disappointment, and disasters ensue as the entitled Kochhar brood dodges old lovers and marriage proposals.
Review:
“They ask you how you are but they only wait for the hole in your answer to hook their own story into. The same dance, the same dance as always. They drink and talk of who’s dating whom, who has talks of an upcoming wedding in the mix, who’s screwing who on the side and how much, and all of it is okay because then they go home and lie next to their version of a happy sort of everafter. They feverishly stare into their phones because it saves them from having an authentic thought."
This is the story of the Kochhar family. Rich, confused to their cores, unusually unhappy and messed up, Bitter Pill Social Club has some characters!
This is a story full of drama and comedy and the drama around that comedy and the comedy around that drama.
If you've ever been fascinated by the lives of these social animals, personally unknown to most of us, this one is here is going to be a ride for you!
Revolving around this dysfunctional family and it's Savage family members, this one here talks about all that it takes away to be an elite, let alone what all it takes to be an elite. The book's like a revealing window into these lives - a life that seem all glittery and worthy of all envy in the world- but is actually nothing but a walk of facade.
Read the Bitter Pill Social Club to have an insider look into the lives of India's (specifically the capital's) elite and see how smartly and realistically Rohan Dahiya has portrayed these stories, freshly inspired by some true events.
I liked the freshness of the content and the perty ride it brings along.
What could have been better though was a little bit more structure in the narration. I would have appreciated a little less confusion reading and rereading around a few excerpts to be with the flow.
Apart from that, this one's a good read.
A 3 out of 5, you can buy yourself a copy here https://www.amazon.in/dp/9387457664/r...
Thank you Bloomsbury and Rohan Dahiya for the review copy and the blog tour.
It's a wrap! ♥
Review also available on WordPress, Instagram, Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter, by the names of read.dream.repeat.
Happy reading!
#bloomsbury #bloomsburyindia #bitterpillsocialclub #bookstagramindia #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #blogtour #bitterpillsocialclubblogtour #bookreview #reviewcopy
Rohan Dahiya.
2018. Pp- 308.
Bloomsbury India
Blurb:
You know exactly who they are. The ones who walk right past club lines, who get what they want before they ask for it. It's a familiar cast : the centre of attention, the shameless flirt, the loudmouth, the narcissistic writer. You've seen them all. You've felt their Gucci-annointed aura. Laughing and dancing. Kissing the wrong people at the wrong time. Swaying to their own beat. Going out every night that they're sad. Finding solace in the crowd in a city paved with mildly good intentions and cocaine lines. A city of smooth talkers, armchair activists, and the rich brats of Instagram. A place to talk pop spirituality and purple prose in connoisseur-only jazz clubs. The Bitter Pill Social Club takes a look at the lives of the Kochhar family, who find themselves drifting apart in the city of djinns, gins, and fake friends wrapped up in cigarette smoke. As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch's constant judgement. Divorce, disappointment, and disasters ensue as the entitled Kochhar brood dodges old lovers and marriage proposals.
Review:
“They ask you how you are but they only wait for the hole in your answer to hook their own story into. The same dance, the same dance as always. They drink and talk of who’s dating whom, who has talks of an upcoming wedding in the mix, who’s screwing who on the side and how much, and all of it is okay because then they go home and lie next to their version of a happy sort of everafter. They feverishly stare into their phones because it saves them from having an authentic thought."
This is the story of the Kochhar family. Rich, confused to their cores, unusually unhappy and messed up, Bitter Pill Social Club has some characters!
This is a story full of drama and comedy and the drama around that comedy and the comedy around that drama.
If you've ever been fascinated by the lives of these social animals, personally unknown to most of us, this one is here is going to be a ride for you!
Revolving around this dysfunctional family and it's Savage family members, this one here talks about all that it takes away to be an elite, let alone what all it takes to be an elite. The book's like a revealing window into these lives - a life that seem all glittery and worthy of all envy in the world- but is actually nothing but a walk of facade.
Read the Bitter Pill Social Club to have an insider look into the lives of India's (specifically the capital's) elite and see how smartly and realistically Rohan Dahiya has portrayed these stories, freshly inspired by some true events.
I liked the freshness of the content and the perty ride it brings along.
What could have been better though was a little bit more structure in the narration. I would have appreciated a little less confusion reading and rereading around a few excerpts to be with the flow.
Apart from that, this one's a good read.
A 3 out of 5, you can buy yourself a copy here https://www.amazon.in/dp/9387457664/r...
Thank you Bloomsbury and Rohan Dahiya for the review copy and the blog tour.
It's a wrap! ♥
Review also available on WordPress, Instagram, Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter, by the names of read.dream.repeat.
Happy reading!
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May 31, 2018
It's been a pretty long time that I have posted a review. I have completed a lot of books in these days but procrastinating the reviews for quite a while but I had to start somewhere. Enters 'The Bitter Pill Social Club', Rohan Dahiya's take on the high society life of India and how a dysfunctional family works which looks happy on the outside but broken on the inside.
Blurb:
The Bitter Pill Social Club takes a look at the lives of the Kochhar family, who find themselves drifting apart in the city of gins and fake friends, wrapped in cigarette smoke. As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch's constant judgment. Divorce, disappointment, and disasters ensue as the entitled Kochhar brood dodges old lovers and marriage proposals.
What's good about the book:
1. The author here does not dwell much into the introduction of the characters. The characters seem to develop as we progress along with the book which in turn allows us to jump right into the story.
2. The book is quite quirky along the plot. The concept of a Uber rich dysfunctional family from India is a concept that have not been touched upon much.
3. The author has not stuck the protagonist into any stereotypes unlike other books by Indian debut authors. What we see here is a mix bag that a person sees in their everyday life.
What's wrong with the book:
1. As good as the concept of the book is, at times the book falls quite flat as the plot turns out pretty predictable in places.
2. What as a reader I would have loved here was smoother transitions when the author changed the narratives of the characters. It took me a while to get used to his writing style.
My take on the book:
Though the book is pretty promising and fresh, it does have its own boundaries. The book largely caters to the audiences who have been through the social life of Upper class families which is not the case throughout the country. As I had mentioned earlier, the writing style did take its own sweet time to grow on me, the book sure made me rethink on the books of Indian authors which do deserve a second chance.
My Ratings : 🌟🌟🌟1/2 out of 5
Book in Three Words : Fresh. Fast. Improvable.
Blurb:
The Bitter Pill Social Club takes a look at the lives of the Kochhar family, who find themselves drifting apart in the city of gins and fake friends, wrapped in cigarette smoke. As one of their own gears up to tie the knot, three siblings come home to the neurotic parents who raised them. Meanwhile the parents face the family patriarch's constant judgment. Divorce, disappointment, and disasters ensue as the entitled Kochhar brood dodges old lovers and marriage proposals.
What's good about the book:
1. The author here does not dwell much into the introduction of the characters. The characters seem to develop as we progress along with the book which in turn allows us to jump right into the story.
2. The book is quite quirky along the plot. The concept of a Uber rich dysfunctional family from India is a concept that have not been touched upon much.
3. The author has not stuck the protagonist into any stereotypes unlike other books by Indian debut authors. What we see here is a mix bag that a person sees in their everyday life.
What's wrong with the book:
1. As good as the concept of the book is, at times the book falls quite flat as the plot turns out pretty predictable in places.
2. What as a reader I would have loved here was smoother transitions when the author changed the narratives of the characters. It took me a while to get used to his writing style.
My take on the book:
Though the book is pretty promising and fresh, it does have its own boundaries. The book largely caters to the audiences who have been through the social life of Upper class families which is not the case throughout the country. As I had mentioned earlier, the writing style did take its own sweet time to grow on me, the book sure made me rethink on the books of Indian authors which do deserve a second chance.
My Ratings : 🌟🌟🌟1/2 out of 5
Book in Three Words : Fresh. Fast. Improvable.
May 10, 2018
The Bitter Pill Social Club by Rohan Dahiya is a downright crazy caper alright, a most entertaining account of the lives of the members of the Kocchar family who are wrapped in a haze of cigarette smoke, an array of pills, alcohol and drug lines. At one point in the story, a parent gets a high after using the stash that has been seized from the room of an offspring and wonders which drug/pill it could be and that tells you a lot of what The Bitter Pill Social Club would be all about.
The book takes the reader on a tour of how the filthy rich live and function with cat fights, affairs, hook ups and gossip being the order of the day as are mention of high end luxury brand names from watches to dresses to food. Parties and social dos feature prominently as does cutting back biting sessions about others in the social circle of the Kocchars.
The overtly dramatic scenes and language during family crisis and the expressions used in shredding the reputations of others are a great laugh. The downright spiral of certain characters are poignant: a protagonist who has been gang raped refuses to move outdoors but refuses to abort the child following the rape. The loneliness of the patriarch of the Kocchar family is familiar but rather than have him as the sane one in the family brood, he gets saddled with a woman who runs away with his money and who pops up in the last chapter as a mere mention.
The book is a riot for sure! If you are willing to read a fast faced no brainer read that you can laugh over while rolling your eyes, The Bitter Pill Social Club by Rohan Dahiya is just the thing for you!
I am rating it at 3 and a half stars out of 5 here!
*I received a review copy of this book from Blommsbury India and am a part of the #BitterPillSocialClub #blogtour
The book takes the reader on a tour of how the filthy rich live and function with cat fights, affairs, hook ups and gossip being the order of the day as are mention of high end luxury brand names from watches to dresses to food. Parties and social dos feature prominently as does cutting back biting sessions about others in the social circle of the Kocchars.
The overtly dramatic scenes and language during family crisis and the expressions used in shredding the reputations of others are a great laugh. The downright spiral of certain characters are poignant: a protagonist who has been gang raped refuses to move outdoors but refuses to abort the child following the rape. The loneliness of the patriarch of the Kocchar family is familiar but rather than have him as the sane one in the family brood, he gets saddled with a woman who runs away with his money and who pops up in the last chapter as a mere mention.
The book is a riot for sure! If you are willing to read a fast faced no brainer read that you can laugh over while rolling your eyes, The Bitter Pill Social Club by Rohan Dahiya is just the thing for you!
I am rating it at 3 and a half stars out of 5 here!
*I received a review copy of this book from Blommsbury India and am a part of the #BitterPillSocialClub #blogtour
July 5, 2018
The Bitter Pill Social Club narrates the high class lifestyle of a typical rich and popular Delhi family whose lives are hooked to social media. The Kocchar family is terribly messed up, their existence a mere show off of their popularity on Instagram. Their lives revolve around fake friends, fake gossips, fake emotions and somehow, they all seem to enjoy this pathetic social life, drowned in fake bonding and disappointments.
The story starts with Sunaina aka Sana Kocchar getting dumped by her ex on a date when she was actually expecting a big epic proposal. Sana’s love life has thereon been pretty much of ups and downs. This book has got me hooked right from the first few pages. The author beautifully depicts the characters and their story-lines from each one’s point of view. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half but, as the story was approaching, it lost its structure. It was a bit confusing as to how a rich girl, living her life in luxury, went off to some hill for trekking and ended up working in a hotel. The change in emphasis from one character to another left me at sea. I suppose there could have been a prior declaration when the focus is shifted from one character to another.
This story might seem to you like a basic one involving failed marriages, sex and affairs but, it is not so. There are twists and turns when you are least expecting it and those amazed me. The insanity of the characters will leave you transfixed. It’s a hilarious read and an apt one for our generation. I would recommend it if you are looking for a light book to get you through the day.
The story starts with Sunaina aka Sana Kocchar getting dumped by her ex on a date when she was actually expecting a big epic proposal. Sana’s love life has thereon been pretty much of ups and downs. This book has got me hooked right from the first few pages. The author beautifully depicts the characters and their story-lines from each one’s point of view. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half but, as the story was approaching, it lost its structure. It was a bit confusing as to how a rich girl, living her life in luxury, went off to some hill for trekking and ended up working in a hotel. The change in emphasis from one character to another left me at sea. I suppose there could have been a prior declaration when the focus is shifted from one character to another.
This story might seem to you like a basic one involving failed marriages, sex and affairs but, it is not so. There are twists and turns when you are least expecting it and those amazed me. The insanity of the characters will leave you transfixed. It’s a hilarious read and an apt one for our generation. I would recommend it if you are looking for a light book to get you through the day.
June 13, 2018
The BitterPill Social club is a hilarious entertaining read.
The Kochar family have a celebrity life whose activities run in social medias easily. We can see how bad lives celebrities have. With fame comes a bigger cost.
The characters are well-crafted and the story has a flavour of Bollywood in it, at least I felt so. The book is full of drama delivered in a humourous perspective. I liked Sana . I kind of felt she was genuine to herself.
I liked the narration. The author has used a simple attractive way of narration for the reader to connect instantly with the book. I was hooked from the first page and I could connect with the story and the characters just like that.
The book portrays lavish richness, love, betrayal, relationship, and trust through its characters. The settings are grand and the detailed descriptions do justice to the story.
My only turn off was, I wasnt able to follow the storyline. I felt lost in the middle. Though the book was well-paced I found myself amidst of nowhere around the middle of the story.
If you are looking for some drama and fun, this book is for you.
The Kochar family have a celebrity life whose activities run in social medias easily. We can see how bad lives celebrities have. With fame comes a bigger cost.
The characters are well-crafted and the story has a flavour of Bollywood in it, at least I felt so. The book is full of drama delivered in a humourous perspective. I liked Sana . I kind of felt she was genuine to herself.
I liked the narration. The author has used a simple attractive way of narration for the reader to connect instantly with the book. I was hooked from the first page and I could connect with the story and the characters just like that.
The book portrays lavish richness, love, betrayal, relationship, and trust through its characters. The settings are grand and the detailed descriptions do justice to the story.
My only turn off was, I wasnt able to follow the storyline. I felt lost in the middle. Though the book was well-paced I found myself amidst of nowhere around the middle of the story.
If you are looking for some drama and fun, this book is for you.
August 20, 2018
Humans are circumspect and yet so dangerously funny that you wouldn’t know whether to keep a poker face or laugh like a maniac. That’s my reaction on completing this book by Rohan Dahiya titled “The Bitter Pill Social Club” published by Bloomsbury.
Talk about those highly infectious mirth plastered with botox-injected smiles and minds that are beyond kind and you get the entire drama of the high society potboiler story in nutshell. Want a sneak peek into the life of the ultra-rich? This book gives you a great glimpse of that.
I wouldn’t say I loved the book; I was actually disgusted with it. Not for the story, not for the way it is written – but for the stark naked portrayal of humans in the story. I guess Rohan wanted the reader to feel just that! Sympathy and disgust in equal measure.
Want a dose of reality? Buy this book and read!
Talk about those highly infectious mirth plastered with botox-injected smiles and minds that are beyond kind and you get the entire drama of the high society potboiler story in nutshell. Want a sneak peek into the life of the ultra-rich? This book gives you a great glimpse of that.
I wouldn’t say I loved the book; I was actually disgusted with it. Not for the story, not for the way it is written – but for the stark naked portrayal of humans in the story. I guess Rohan wanted the reader to feel just that! Sympathy and disgust in equal measure.
Want a dose of reality? Buy this book and read!
May 16, 2018
This is the story of the Kocchar family. A family which is a typical rich and famous, people whose life is on Instagram.
I was totally hooked on to the book from the stating chapters itself. They were absurd and totally hilarious. I was totally attached to the Kocchar family after reading the first few chapters. This is a typical rich and famous family of the capital which fly to Europe in a jiffy and have elaborate shopping days, meetings with designers, affairs and fake friends. The characters are really well described and placed throughout the book.
Read the complete review on my blog - http://blushesandsparkle.com/the-bitt...
I was totally hooked on to the book from the stating chapters itself. They were absurd and totally hilarious. I was totally attached to the Kocchar family after reading the first few chapters. This is a typical rich and famous family of the capital which fly to Europe in a jiffy and have elaborate shopping days, meetings with designers, affairs and fake friends. The characters are really well described and placed throughout the book.
Read the complete review on my blog - http://blushesandsparkle.com/the-bitt...
May 25, 2018
The novel follows the life of dysfunctional family of Kochhars. It begins introducing characters of Kochhars family - Sunaina, Hassan, Tina, Surya, Geetu, Gayatri, Vir, Asim, Dev, Kama, Ria. The author takes us through the life and mindset of each of these characters. If I have to tell you in brief the plotline of the book then I would only say that it tells you, and sincerely so, the story of farcical life of a high society fam.
read the entire review: www.ofbookbabiesandmore.wordpress.com
read the entire review: www.ofbookbabiesandmore.wordpress.com
May 31, 2018
My rating is 2.75
All in all, I enjoyed the book and I am sure I lay somewhere in the middle of liking and not liking this book. But I would recommend this book to those who needs some inside story of all the happens in the big mansions. It fits perfectly with the background of Delhi; something I could relate to.
You can read the complete review here:
https://thesubtlebraiding.blogspot.co...
All in all, I enjoyed the book and I am sure I lay somewhere in the middle of liking and not liking this book. But I would recommend this book to those who needs some inside story of all the happens in the big mansions. It fits perfectly with the background of Delhi; something I could relate to.
You can read the complete review here:
https://thesubtlebraiding.blogspot.co...
January 27, 2019
I DID NOT FINISH THIS BOOK -
June 8, 2021
This was quite insane. I would watch a series about the Kocchar family especially because I’m really curious now about all of their fates. And what do I say about the ever present main character in the book - Delhi.. So many things were so typical Delhi.. I could relate so much, it was embarrassing :|
May 28, 2018
This book revolves around the Kochhar family, and how even today though we live with our family, we are not as attached and honest with them as we used to be.
I felt it's an honest as well as hilarious approach to the urban life today.I did feel that at some places the detailed explanations were not needed and with so many characters in the book it took me a while to remember the story of each character and did confuse me a little.
Although, there were a lot of things to which I could relate. Specially, the city in which the book was set, i.e, Delhi. There are no definitive timelines, so it can confuse you as to what is happening when, especially when after some chapters the main storyline completely disappeared and the story moved a few months ahead.
The only thing that kept me reading was the easy to read and hilarious writing. There are a lot of emotions which the author explored, and it was nice to read about them.
I would recommend this book to you if you are someone who likes to know why some people behave the way they do, and if you love drama and gossip.
My Verdict- 3/5
Twitter- https://twitter.com/booknbhook
Instagram- @booknbhook
I felt it's an honest as well as hilarious approach to the urban life today.I did feel that at some places the detailed explanations were not needed and with so many characters in the book it took me a while to remember the story of each character and did confuse me a little.
Although, there were a lot of things to which I could relate. Specially, the city in which the book was set, i.e, Delhi. There are no definitive timelines, so it can confuse you as to what is happening when, especially when after some chapters the main storyline completely disappeared and the story moved a few months ahead.
The only thing that kept me reading was the easy to read and hilarious writing. There are a lot of emotions which the author explored, and it was nice to read about them.
I would recommend this book to you if you are someone who likes to know why some people behave the way they do, and if you love drama and gossip.
My Verdict- 3/5
Twitter- https://twitter.com/booknbhook
Instagram- @booknbhook
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