THERE is an underlying element of Bollywood in P.G. Bhaskar’s Jack Patel’s Dubai Dreams. In true filmi fashion, the novel — which is part of Penguin India’s “Metro Reads”, a series of chick- and lad-lit books written by several Indian authors — begins on board a train. Our eponymous ‘hero’ (pun intended) has just left the Chennai Central Station.

And after feasting on idli and sambar (along with two different kinds of chutneys) thanks to his hospitable fellow passengers (“This can only happen in India, I thought. Where else would someone take the trouble to offer a meal to a perfect stranger on a train?” he muses as he chows down), we are provided with a flashback (what did I say about Bollywood elements?) into his life — four years earlier as A.R. Rahman’s chartbuster Jai Ho blares on the train.

Jai Patel, a technical analyst fresh out of business school has big dreams. And when Myers York, a giant financial firm comes to India he decides to join the “Wall Street colossus”. But instead of sending his resume like most people, he walks into the office requesting a job. And guess what? He gets it, since he is miraculously able to impress the chief executives with his abilities and wit.

And then, all of a sudden, his life is full of adventures. He is sent off to New York for training and he and his new co-workers spend three weeks “exploring… everything that was good, bad and naughty” after which they finally reach Dubai. In no time at all, Jai earns his spurs, emerging as one of employees with the highest number of revenues, evoking jealousy and respect amongst his peers. In between, he travels to East Africa to get new clients, finds a girlfriend and takes a trip home to solve a domestic crises spurred by the fact that his sister wants to, horror of horrors, marry a boy who is not Gujrati.

And then, all hell breaks loose. The great recession of 2008 strikes and Jai is left jobless and in debt. He’s lost a lot of his clients’ money, including that of his father-in-law to be. The world he has created comes crashing down and he’s left trying to put together the fragments. But throughout the drama and catastrophes that he portrays, Bhaskar doesn’t lose his sense of humour.

Another thing that keeps Dubai Dreams extremely readable is its snazzy pace and lingo. At times, though, the financial jargon does go over one’s head, but that’s a minor drawback. And while the book may not be one through which you contemplate the meaning of life, it is definitely an ideal way to wile away a lazy afternoon.

Jack Patel’s Dubai Dreams (NOVEL) By P.G. Bhaskar Penguin Books, India ISBN 9780143415268 240pp. Indian Rs150