The ways of the corporate jungle

Balancing a well-crafted corporate saga with the ingraining of real-life technical incidents, Ashutosh Mishra’s “Banker’s Game” turns out to be a highly engaging piece of fiction.

Mishra uses his background in the banking industry much to his advantage, and he weaves his tale keeping in mind the dark and treacherous world of money-making and the impact it has on seemingly sober men and women. His book does justice to its title, and the readers continue to be baffled by the multi-shaded rules of the “game” that his bankers participate in.

 Coming from a humble background, Nitin slowly climbs up the corporate ladder by imbibing the twisted ways of the financial world and within no time, he secures a top management position is British Bank. Trying to keep his self-congratulatory attitude at the leash, he tactically maintains professional relations with his colleagues and peers, garnering hate and appreciation along the way. The trio working under him in his sales team—Satya, Amit and Rekha—are always finding ways to defend themselves from Nitin’s shrewd comments and keen expectancy. Soon enough, major changes loom large before them in their professional and personal fronts. Rekha struggles to file a divorce against her abusive husband, Satya worsens his drinking habit and Amit feels that his employment is shaky. The stock market is collapsing, banks are going bankrupt, people are losing millions of dollars—will these employees of British Bank manage to wade through their crises?

Mishra’s writing is smooth and easy flowing, without any excessive flowery language or unnecessary complications. His words come alive and take us through the minds and hearts of the characters, and we keep getting into their skin to relate to their dilemmas in an unwavering empathy. The book seems like a slice of life itself, with that same amount of unpredictability, lost opportunities and conflicts waiting to make their way. Be it Rekha’s unnerving workaholism or Nitin’s crude decisions, or be it Satya’s kind-heartedness lurking behind his makeshift poker face—I could surprisingly relate to them all. The author expresses with expertise the victorious feeling of making a fat profit, or the crestfallenness of losing a big deal or the insecurities involved in investments. Money, I had heard, could change people and bring out their deepest vulnerabilities. With this book, I could affirm that belief myself.

One of the best-crafted characters was Nitin himself. The book starts off with a flashback from his past and then it takes a leap forward to the times when he’s well established in his domain. His character is extremely multi-layered and he craves sympathy. His close-to-extinction ethical sense, his dash for success, his double standards—they all have been portrayed slowly but steadily, like constructing a wall brick by brick. I really admire how the author has highlighted his tumbling downfall from his professional success towards the ending of the book, along with his hint that at the end of the day, you have to conquer your inflated ego.  Amit and Satya’s personalities could have been worked upon a bit more, and although there was nothing visibly incomplete about their characterizations, their uniqueness could have had more prominence. The innumerable characters, big and small, managed to put up the plot’s expanse quite well, but it also suffered from a similar scarcity of differentiation among the major and minor characterizations. The dissolution of personal biases with professional prejudices, along with the overlap of our ethical conscience with the treacherous alter-ego….it all comes up naturally as we delve deeper into Mishra’s writing. The author also constructs his elaborate web of character relationships with care and thoughtfulness, and this heightens the overall vibe of the book.

Ups and pitfalls in the financial market, and the thrifts and losses of the bankers’ account—they all have been weaved meticulously along with the primary storyline. The complications and issues that come up in the corporate jungle are so well-researched and vividly articulated that it falls nothing short of actually experiencing it in our own lives. The way our profession and our hunger for dominance can take a toll on our close friends and family has been highlighted all throughout the book.

This book is for you if you believe that money affects all sectors of our life. If you’re a corporate employee yourself, then “Banker’s Game” will definitely make you relive your work experiences. Go and grab a copy here!

Disclaimer: This review is in lieu of a review copy. 

➤ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ashutosh Mishra is a senior banker, a life coach and motivational speaker. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur and IIT Delhi, he is an avid reader, blogger, YouTuber and well-being enthusiast. He can be reached at @ashutosh_author. 

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