Will Rhode

By Will Rhode Riverhead Books
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The press materials note that Rhode himself is an unemployed journalist turned first-time novelist who covered India for Reuters.And "Paperback Original" has been released as a - you guessed it - paperback original.

But, thankfully, the 5 million pounds isn't really central to the story.
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Although Rhode makes a few stabs at profundity here and there, "Paperback Original" is best enjoyed as a cinematic tour of the sights, sounds and smells of India's seamy side, as experienced by a spoiled twentysomething who would really be better off packing his bags and heading home.

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As you might guess, Rhode isn't going for gritty realism here."Paperback Original" stays deliriously over the top as the action moves from Delhi to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) to Pushkar, and it seems every one of its short, punchy chapters adds a new twist or a new obstacle to Josh's quest.It's that constant, restless energy that keeps the pages turning for "Paperback Original," even when the reader can't really buy into the story line.

The other great skill Rhode has is his obvious knowledge of India.
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I was less taken with the novel when Rhode abruptly flashed back to traumatic events in Josh's childhood.He probably included them in an attempt to make Josh seem more sympathetic despite his actions, but he just comes off as being amoral and whiny.

Like Alex Garland's "The Beach," Rhode's book is being classified as a new entry in the subgenre of "backpacker lit," novels about (and supposedly appealing to) young men and women just out of college who put their possessions on their back and see the world.

And I suppose "Paperback Original" is well suited for such readers - it's a paperback, so it doesn't weigh much, and the ultra-short chapters can be easily digested while waiting for a bus in Mombasa or sitting in an outdoor cafe in Prague.Just as long as it doesn't give them any funny ideas.

By Will Rhode

By William Rhode