Hello, Mike Testing (HMT) by the playwright-turned-screenwriter Suneesh Varanaad is a compilation of humourous stories told in the backdrop of stage programs. The book is almost in the same zone as Ramesh Pisharady’s recently released Chiri Puranda Jeevithangal (Suneesh has incidentally thanked Pisharady in the preface for telling him some stories which have found their place in the book). It becomes all the more interesting as one of the stories (Sinkara Velante Velakal) in this book has also been featured in Chiri Puranda...
Coming to the positives, Suneesh’s stories are short and amusing and can be finished in one sitting. It’s undoubtedly a light read and is a perfect choice if you want something that won’t tax you much. The illustrations accompanying the stories also truly enhance the reading experience. The language has been kept pretty simple without any double innuendos, making it suitable even for a younger reader. Narasimhathile Simham and Stagile Jurassic Park are the picks of the lot.
On the downside, the writing is pretty flat, and though the writer has tried to sound funny, it sometimes falls flat. The supposedly real-life stories don’t have a laugh-out-loud quality, and most of them come across as if they have been tweaked to give that humourous ending.
Hello Mike Testing is a passable collection.
-nikhimenon
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