Book Review: Red Card by Kautuk Srivastava
Red Card
Author: Kautuk Srivastava
Publisher: Penguin Publishers
Rating: 3.5/5
Better known as the ‘Game of Thugs’, Football definitely sets everyone’s adrenaline rushing. Set in the 00s, ‘Red Card’ gives us the reminiscent bump by taking us down the memory lane and urging us to recall the pleasant days of our childhood. Revolving around Rishabh Bala, a robust and astute young boy, the story traces the road map of his life that is a balance of woes and weal.
The story begins with Zinedine Zidane (France’s captain) getting a Red card in the last match of his career. In a parallel timeline, four young football enthusiasts are taken aback by Zidane’s bummer. Amongst them is Rishabh, who is mildly eccentric and takes things seriously. The story is Rishabh’s quest to find name and fame and bring back glory to their school by winning the Football tournament. Some of the things are quite relatable- like the determination of the boys to practice on their own because they donot have a proper coach,
For all those who are wondering whether this story is about love and happily-ever-after, this book can come across as an utter disappointment. This is because it has a more serious agenda to accomplish and that is to stress the importance of hard work, discipline, competition, community, respect, pain tolerance and warrior spirits.
Written with impressive narrative and exemplary vocabulary, the author has aced this literary feat. However, the target audience for this book is limited, for only the ardent football fans will understand the strategy and execution before every match.
Joining the dots together, the book is a penetrating probe into one of the most intriguing and misunderstood sports of our time. A tantalizing cover adds on to the enticing opus.
Best wishes to the author!
Buying Link: Amazon
