Alright, let me make it very clear in the first sentence itself - The only reason I picked up this book last weekend in Crosswords was the reference to IIT. And no, I am no way connected to IIT but I love campus fiction and most campus fiction these days are centered around an IIT campus.

Thanks to a very average Five Point Someone (FPS) and a bad "Anything for you, Ma'am" I was not expecting a great read when I started this novel. However it was a pleasant surprise. It did manage to surpass my meager expectations.

"Above Average" by Amitabha Bagchi was written in 2000 much before Chetan Bhagat's ground breaking novel made its way to the stands across the country. "Above Average" is all about Arindham or Rindhu as he is commonly known as inside the campus of IIT Delhi. The narration is devoid of any frills and does not pretend that it is holding you on the edge of your seat like some of the other campus thrillers do. However it manages to hold your interest.

The book has a non linear narration which seems absurdly random at times but a careful reader will be able to appreciate the jumps in the thought process of the narrator. It is the USP of the book. The book also describes the campus life in a much better manner compared to FPS.

To cut a long story short, this is a nice book to read and it stays with you long after you've finished reading it. It takes you back to your campus, your professors, your crushes and your ambitions.

At 195 rupees it is a bit steeply priced (By FPS standards) but then this is worth every paisa of those 195 rupees.

My rating: Above Average :)