The Big Switch – Book Review

Author: John Thomas

Kindle Edition: 239 Pages

Publisher: Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited

Language: English

Genre: Fiction

ASIN: B0776ZJGNR

About The Book:

What does a 24-year-old man want in life?
Love?
A decent job?
Keith has both. He is a software engineer at a reputable company and has a girlfriend whom he loves a lot.
Yet, there is something missing in his life. He is not even close to being happy.
Only after losing his girlfriend, he realizes what the reason for his unhappiness is.
He realizes that he is caught up in the wrong career.
With time running out, he knows that he must switch to a new career — one that makes him happy.
But, is 24 too late to do that? Is he making a mistake?
Find out as Keith follows his heart in pursuit of an impossible-looking dream

About The Author:

John Thomas is a full-time seeker, who is in a continuous search for meaning. To earn his livelihood, however, he does a lot of other things. He works as a Freelance Software Developer, a Freelance Content Creator, a Stocks Investor/Trader and anything else that interests him.

He wants to write stories that can make a difference. And his debut novel, The Big Switch, was an honest attempt at sharing the message that it’s never too late to follow one’s passion. He is currently working on his second novel.

My Take:

Almost everyone who is fond of books have once in a while picked up those self-help books to get that little motivational push. But what if that same thing fiction could give without sounding too preachy? That’s exactly what this book is about. The blurb of the book is captivating especially to the youth who is in their middle twenties struggling with the quarter life crisis or identity crisis as often called. This book wonderfully brings out that struggle.

Though there isn’t much about the plot involved in the book, and reading the blurb the reader can almost guess it what is it going to be about. Everyone has faced this question in his/her life, What am I doing with my life?, but there are are only few who could answer that and accept that answer as well. But what happens when the answer you get isn’t acceptable, this is that story. The story that might make the reader to question his/her own life story.

There aren’t many characters in the book but even the few those are there almost depicts the people the reader is usually surrounded with throughout the life. Like the protagonist, everyone has a motivator, broken relationship, a mean person who fills the life with negatives, a go-to person, a cushion person to fall back on. Though the story continues through the life of the protagonist, other characters keep gaining and losing focus. The slight background of each character though insightful yet it leaves the reader wanting for more. If the reader might not find connect with the main character, there isn’t any other character with the similar depth to relate to. A little more focus on other character would have been brilliant.

The story continues without any lags. Owing to its fast pace the story keeps the reader glued until the last page. Though it did seem to be a bit hurried at times and a little more depth to the setting would have been an advantage to the reader’s imagination. Little and unexpected twists every now and then were much appreciated which kept the story from being boring and preachy. It subtly handles the struggles and depicts the realities of life which may or may not go according to the plans. The story fluidly showcases the ups and downs of following a dream and at the end leaves the reader somewhat motivated with a smile on the face.

Bottom line: A book that makes you think.

My Rating:

3.5/5

Scale of Rating: 1– Ignore It!! 2-Don’t Touch It!! 3-One Time Read!! 4-Add To Your TBR!! 5-Read it NOW!!!

And now I’ll leave you with a few lines from the book…

“Your fears, they have a strange knack of finding you. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, they will get you. And when they do, they will trouble you just as you always feared.”

“Most Indian schools followed a simple rule. If a boy was good at studies, the teachers branded him as an engineer. And if it was a girl, she was branded as a doctor.“

“They say fortune favors the brave.“

“Always remember this — negative questions result in negative answers and negative answers take us into a negative state of mind.“

“when you don’t get what you want, you get something which is far more precious.”

“When you love your job, you don’t count the hours. You just enjoy every single minute. And when you aren’t working, you look forward to getting back to work.“

“you are never too late to pursue your dreams.”

“Anybody who has made it big didn’t know how they were going to do it. They knew just one thing — they had to do it.“

“The more you push toward your dream, the more obsessed you get about it. And even before you realize, the dream takes on a whole new meaning. It feels as if your entire life depends on the fulfilment of the dream.“

“No one wants to be bad at something. It is an uncomfortable position to be.”

“Some things just resonate with your soul. They move you, they force you to think, and then they transform you into something you were meant to become.“

“A writer’s best friend is another writer.“

“It is fascinating how a little support can change your state for the good. A smile here, a nod there, and you are on your way.“

“Many times, we fail to see the rewards that life showers on us because we are too busy worrying about the hardships.“

“Follow your heart. It knows where your treasure is, even when you don’t. And trust me, it will move mountains to take you there.”