Here is a review left by a customer on a product. Would you say he was satisfied or dissatisfied?
Title: Quite disappointing
Review: The format of this novel is indeed innovative. However, the words the characters purportedly write in their journals, or tell to the story's journalist, are contrived and not credible. Also, some of the passages (such as the Sikh character's tale of the anti-Sikh pogroms in 1984 following the assassination of Indira Gandhi) seemed to be included not because they develop the story, but rather because the author thinks the reader ought to know the history in detail. Is this book trying to be a novel, or a William Dalrymple wanna be? It's like attending a presentation given by someone who is excited about his/her topic, but cannot seem to realize that what he/she knows and what the audience wants are quite different. We can absorb history as part of a novel without being hit over the head and lectured about it.
