Book Box: How not to tell a story

Returning to Mumbai, the author found solace in reuniting with her bookshelves, which held both familiar titles and new arrivals. Among the new books were "Breaking the Rules" by Vinita Gupta and "The Shopify Story." The author was particularly drawn to Gupta's book, intrigued by a woman who launched a Silicon Valley business that achieved an IPO and a buyback.

“

After about the halfway point, it became an interesting exercise for me in how not to tell a story.

However, both business books proved to be a letdown. While still working through "The Shopify Story," the author found "Breaking the Rules" to be an exercise in "how not to tell a story." Despite Gupta's potentially dramatic life and business experiences, the author felt she skimmed over crucial moments, withholding details from the reader. The narrative lacked depth in explaining conflicts, such as a business partner's departure, and failed to provide sufficient context for legal issues like lawsuits and class actions.

“

If you are shy about telling your story, you shouldn’t write a book. If you want the gift of the reader’s attention, you have to be willing to share your story.

The author lamented that triumphs, setbacks, lawsuits, and betrayals were presented with a similar emotional weight, diminishing their impact. The absence of vivid scene-setting and character development left the author feeling disconnected from the people and places described. This narrative approach, the author concluded, was a wasted opportunity given the inherent drama in Gupta's story.

“

Triumphs, setbacks, lawsuits and betrayals receive roughly equal weight, so nothing lands with the force it should.

Redemption came through a re-read of Johan Norberg's "Peak Human," which analyzes the rise and fall of global empires, and Isaac Asimov's "Foundation and Robots" series. The author found these works, particularly Asimov's exploration of empire, chaos, and policies on openness, immigration, and technology, to be uncannily relevant to current global affairs, offering a more engaging and insightful reading experience.

“

A story of the rise and fall of an empire, of the chaos in between, of policies on openness and immigration and use of technology – it’s uncannily relevant to today.