REVIEW: A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
B Reviews / Recommended ReadsContemporary / family relationships / films / India / wedding31 Comments
Mili Rathod hasn’t seen her husband in twenty years—not since she was promised to him at the age of four. Yet marriage has allowed Mili a freedom rarely given to girls in her village. Her grandmother has even allowed her to leave India and study in America for eight months, all to make her the perfect modern wife. Which is exactly what Mili longs to be—if her husband would just come and claim her.
Bollywood’s favorite director, Samir Rathod, has come to Michigan to secure a divorce for his older brother. Persuading a naïve village girl to sign the papers should be easy for someone with Samir’s tabloid-famous charm. But Mili is neither a fool nor a gold-digger. Open-hearted yet complex, she’s trying to reconcile her independence with cherished traditions. And before he can stop himself, Samir is immersed in Mili’s life—cooking her dal and rotis, escorting her to her roommate’s elaborate Indian wedding, and wondering where his loyalties and happiness lie.
Dear Ms. Dev,
This seems to be a popular plot these days as I’ve seen other similar set-ups – child marriage, one partner heads for the hills for years (really?) and then there’s the modern fall out that needs to be picked up. So my ignorant question is – how often does this truly happen in modern India? Or semi-modern as the marriage happened years ago and the principals would need to be adults now.
Mili is just so darn cute. She’s like a bouncy kitten of happiness despite her years of waiting for her husband to appear. She might be down but she’s never out and she’s always looking at the bright side. Plus she’s got sensuous food eating down pat. Seriously, I had visions of the 1963 “Tom Jones” but without the erotic undertones on her part.
Samir is a man with a past – and a present that isn’t always heroic. He’s a playboy who has frankly enjoyed the sexual side of his life and who isn’t a stranger to the tabloids though from early on we can see his decentness peeking out from under the layers of scandal.
Mili and Samir share a devotion to family only in Mili’s case it’s a marital devotion to an ideal she’s lived with almost her whole life as well as to her devoted naani. Again with my lack of knowledge of a modern Indian woman’s feelings on this matter I have to just go with the idea that a woman would be willing to endure this. Mili is made more palatable for modern consumption by her drive and determination to get an education – even if she has to persuade her naani by means of improving herself for life as a military wife. Still Mili had the gumption to fight for what she wanted.
Through the elopement and (chaotic Punjabi) wedding of Mili’s roommate, we see something of what Mili missed with her Rajasthani wedding as a child. Non Indians who want an idea of what’s going on should watch “Monsoon Wedding” for a visual. This section of the plot also served to soften Samir up to the possibility of marriage, finding The One and how wonderful Mili is in even more ways as she effortlessly deals with her roommate’s family drama.
Even though Mili is not Samir’s usual “type,” from the beginning we’re given the information that he finds her the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Victory for all us short, curvaceous women! Even though he arrived in Michigan thinking her a gold-digging bitch, Samir is soon won over by her sweetness and lack of artifice – beautifully portrayed in such a way that I wasn’t going into a diabetic coma reading about it. He’s also rocked back on his heels by the fact that she doesn’t immediately swoon and melt at his handsome feet the way he’s accustomed to.
As these two get to know each other, I’m enjoying watching Samir being bent into a pretzel and his conscious astonishment of this even while it’s happening. The Rathod family might initially seem to hold all the cards but Mili’s given enough power in the relationship to balance the scales.
Yet … yet I kept wondering, why did Virat not take care of this earlier? Okay so he didn’t realize for years that sneaky bastard granddad hadn’t had the marriage annulled but as soon as he did, he could have initiated something and got the legal ball rolling. I also found it strange that there is almost no mention made of Samir thinking of his ulterior mission during the initial weeks he’s with Mili in Ypsilanti.
Until suddenly, all the secrets and misunderstandings get rolled up together as the fit hits the shan all at the same time. Every secret, everything that should have been mentioned and ironed out and fixed gets trotted out and we’re served an almost overdose of angst and drama. Yep, just like a Bollywood film. The tears, the drama, the heartbreak, the breakup, the separations all come at the same time before the grand fixing of all things gone wrong.
I’m glad to see everything come together in a glorious riot of emotion and family love but something about it felt too neat, too pretty and tied into a bow. In several later scenes I almost expected Samir’s family to burst into a choreographed song and dance number. I loved the characterizations, the “feel” of the book, the way Samir falls at Mili’s feet, the obvious love the family members have for each other, the descriptions … well a lot of things, but the Issues came to a head too close together and got prettily fixed too fast. B
~Jayne
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Waiting to read the review until I finish reading. I got this due to Jane’s raving in one in the DBSA podcasts. Enjoying it so far.
I downloaded the sample yesterday and read it on the ferry ride home. It was waaaay too short for me to make a decision (my main takeaway at the end of it was that there were some really distracting POV issues that I’m not sure I could handle for an entire novel). Still mulling whether or not I’m willing to spend $10 on eBook that may well be a DNF due to the writing style.
So, I won the ARC of this in a DA giveaway – thanks, DA!
I did like it a lot. I loved Mili and Samir and I really liked how well Dev shows their complicated but important family relationships, especially Samir’s. They weren’t just two people existing in a vacuum, they had communities of different kinds around them. I also appreciated how she managed to make Mili more than a passive character, waiting for her husband to claim her, even if there were a couple of TSTL moments. I enjoyed their romance and I thoroughly believed in their happy ending.
But, I did have a couple of misgivings. First, I was disappointed that so much of the book’s conflict depends on a Big Mis. I wished that particular secret had been dealt with much, much earlier on. And second, although I loved all the food – I was inspired to start making rotis! – I did feel it tipped over the edge into fetishisation at times. It seemed as though Mili only had to take a bite of something for Samir to get hard. I didn’t need that at every single meal.
I would recommend it though. It’s fun and charming and very sweet in parts.
Great review, Jayne. I liked this a lot and would probably grade it an A-/B+. I thought the romance was wonderful and I loved the slow development of their relationship. I also really liked the Punjabi wedding subplot. I agree completely that the last quarter or so was too pat and not really believable, perhaps especially because I thought the earlier parts rang so true.
Still, it’s a great debut and all the little touches about India and Indians in the US made this a terrific read for me.
@Ros:
This sounds a bit like the food thing from BET ME, which I was not a fan of.
@Sunita: One of the things I really liked was how she showed the subtle differences between the Indians in the US and the culture in India. Similarities, of course, but not identical.
@Ros: The food thing was ever-present but it didn’t bother me as much, partly because food is *such* a major component of social interactions, as well as a way to show love through taking care. I know that’s true for many cultures, but it’s still very front-and-center in Indian families. There are a number of ordinary dishes I associate immediately with family members and specific events.
For me the unbelievable thing was that Samir could churn out perfectly round rotis. Or maybe I’m just jealous!
I’m torn – this has gotten such good buzz, but I really, really hate big misunderstandings and I also hate heroes who misjudge the heroine.
@Sunita: Hah! I did like the food and I totally believe you that it’s so important in Indian culture. It was Samir’s constant erotic response to Mili’s eating that bothered me.
@Isobel Carr: That’s [one of] the reason[s] I’ve never read Bet Me. The other is that I hated the only other Crusie book I’ve ever tried. But everything I’ve heard about Bet Me and food/body image makes me cringe.
Wonderful review Jayne. This one is waiting for me on my Kindle, hopefully soon :).
I completely agree with Cleo about the trope and I did not like Bet Me, so I doubt this is for me. However, since I’m #1 on the holds list at my library I’ll give it a go.
Thanks for the review.
I bought this one due to all the twitter buzz and b/c I’m 1st gen Indian so I think I’d enjoy the cultural aspect. I’m hesitant about the Big Mis (ugh) and the boner inducing eating but I’ll give it a go. Unfortunately, it landed in my inbox the same day as Burn for Me which I picked up first and can’t put down now.
I don’t know what Samir is supposed to look like but I can tell you he’s gonna look like Hrithik Roshan in my head!!
@Lada: “I don’t know what Samir is supposed to look like but I can tell you he’s gonna look like Hrithik Roshan in my head!!”
LOL – me too. That’s exactly how I saw him.
@Ros: I also enjoyed how she showed the differences between cultures in India. Samir and Mili were both a bit stunned by the full-on Punjabi wedding and then there were the comments about the Punjabi bride Ridhi and her South Indian in-laws and husband.
@Ros: “They weren’t just two people existing in a vacuum, they had communities of different kinds around them.”
When Sunita and I were talking about the book, she pointed out how – again – here’s a book with Indian characters but an amazing lack of extended families for the main characters. I mean look at Ridhi’s family who gathered from far and wide in a weeks time for her wedding. From what I’ve seen among Indian coworkers of mine, if there’s a family wedding, they’re on a plane to it, regardless. Is it possible to reconcile this with the romance tendency for isolated main characters? I remember Mili telling Samir about how disease decimated her mother’s family but what about her father? Wouldn’t his family have stepped forward to at least take care of Mili?
“I also appreciated how she managed to make Mili more than a passive character, waiting for her husband to claim her, even if there were a couple of TSTL moments.”
Yes! When I started the book, I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to go along with the plot of Mili waiting for years for her husband but for the most part, Dev made that work by giving Mili agency in spite of the set-up.
“I enjoyed their romance and I thoroughly believed in their happy ending.”
I totally agree with how wonderful the “falling in love” part of the story is. The four weeks in Ypsilanti are great as Samir adjusts to his shit colored, ratty apartment and gets to really know Mili.
@cleo: He goes to Michigan thinking one thing about Mili – that she’s a gold-digger out for a share of the family estate but he quickly changes his mind about her. Or at least he realizes that everything isn’t like he thought it was. Samir’s family has had no contact with her for years and he can only initially judge her based on the court documents filed plus they’ve got a family crisis going on so I can sorta understand where he was coming from.
It was fairly obvious to me as the reader that he was falling for her from early on in their relationship and he actually treats her well for 98% of the book. When the conflict reaches its climax, it’s because someone else spills the beans and Mili – understandably – misunderstands what has taken place between them rather than Samir cold-bloodedly aiming to hurt her.
I really liked it. I was also very skeptical about the whole child marriage thing initially but there is enough context and explanations to make it plausible. It is definitely like a Bollywood movie and the last quarter is quite over the top, but since I thoroughly enjoy these types of Bollywood movies it was great. I can readily convert much of this book mentally into a movie or at least the accompanying songs- the Punjabi wedding with dance numbers, the introductory song with the Rajasthan desert and Jaipur palace cinematography and a quick overview of Mili’s life to date, the (mild spoiler) sad, pathos filled song towards the end when they are both so depressed, etc. Lol.
I would say this is the first book I have read so far which is both a great romance and great at Indian culture and fully satisfied me on both. The Mills and Boons ones are great at setting but I didnt find any of those romances memorable. I have mentioned Farahad Zama’s books before which are great at both setting and general fiction but are not genre romances. (http://www.amazon.com/Marriage-Bureau-Rich-People-ebook/dp/B0028T82M4/ref=sr_1_3_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414695807&sr=8-3&keywords=farahad+zama)
And I really loved the many many references and use of language that made it such a genuinely ‘India’ feeling book. Including the casual movie references, the references to all the types of aunts and uncles and relatives without translating into English, the language used especially from Mili’s POV, and the use of Hindi idioms. Its actually hard for me to spot Hindi idioms when translated to English but was lots of fun when I did.
Oddly I thought that Sunita would think that this book does have extended family, relative to the Mills and Boons books reviewed here previously. Now, I guess everyone in this book is more or less immediate family, on Samir’s side, but they are so important to him and play such a role in the book that I did get this *sense* of there being plenty of family around. But I do see the point, certainly its odd that Mili’s paternal relatives play no role in her life. And I found it so implausible that (spoilers) Lata, an uneducated woman, could support herself and two sons, that too by moving to Nagpur where they speak a different language but maybe she fled to her brother or parents which would at least make sense.
Like Mili, I was so preoccupied with the food itself that I paid no attention to its effect on Samir. I was too busy being transported to dosa and idly filled weekend mornings at my mother’s house, to the Punjabi family friend’s paratha/butter/pickle dinners when I visit Mumbai, and so on :D After that wedding menu description I had to pause to get mango pickle which was the only thing I actually had at home from that menu.
@Sunita- on the one hand, its the cost of an iPhone. On the other hand maybe a roti making robot is more important than an iPhone :D https://rotimatic.com/ (I don’t know if these would taste good but its so cool that I have to share)
@Janhavi: You’re right, it is the extended family absence that I notice. I do know Indians in India with few extended family members, but not very many, certainly not as many as in romance novels. But the immediate family interactions were warm and genuine.
I had forgotten about that roti maker. I remember when it came out, and all I could think was, it’s obviously for Western roti eaters. Something that complicated and that fragile would last about 2 months, tops, in Mumbai’s heat and humidity (never mind Nagpur, they’d break it in transit). Think about a Mixie and how durable it is compared to how that thing looks.
Just want to mention that there’s a 50% rebate for this at OmniLit / Are (until Nov 11) – use the code SBTBARE at checkout.
http://www.omnilit.com/mobile/details.html?pid=1615680
@Sunita: I would be so happy to be that Western roit eater (although I have a great Indian place that delivers, so I guess I don’t *really* need one, LOL!).
Stupid typo. ROTI!
@Isobel Carr: The difference between a roti that’s been delivered from a restaurant and a freshly made one cannot be adequately expressed in temperate language.
I didn’t find the food scenes or Samir’s reactions to be overbearing/too copious. I liked the way the author managed to make both of their stories plausible and each of them sympathetic. I was actually annoyed the most with the brother for not owning up/acting on the non-annulment previously and lying by omission to his wife for so long. I loved the humor and enjoyed the romance between Samir and Mali for the most part. I had issues with neither of them talking to the other at the end. I’ll give them a pass at first as emotions were running high, but sheesh!
I wish we’d had more scenes between Lata and Sara. I enjoyed their interactions even though most of it was second-hand.
@Isobel Carr: FWIW the prologue and epilogue definitely have a different tone. The multiple POV shifts in them were not present for the rest of the book.
I was mildly annoyed by the framing of some of the discussion questions. Perhaps I am being over sensitive, but they seem rather… founded in a Western view of the world. And given that is being marketed as literary fiction-Asian-Indian and stuff like that on Amazon, I have higher expectations that the discussion should be more culture neutral. These questions seem very… talking to a Western audience about a foreign culture. And I guess it is that, but still..
Anyway, I thought this question seemed to simply assume that arranged marriages are self evidently bad.
“7. Why do you think the system of child marriages or even arranged marriages, for that matter, where the choice lies outside the marrying couple, ever started? What was the benefit to society? Apart from the obvious injustice of it, what other repercussions does a society suffer as a result of such a system?”
I was also not a huge fan of question 10.
“Mili and her roommate, Ridhi, have both been raised in traditional Indian families but in two different countries. Both families believe the women should follow the path set for them. Both women maneuver their way around these expectations to get what they want. Do you think the burden of a set path to follow is unique to the Indian culture? Or is it something all cultures have to deal with? What kind of expectations have you had to work around in your own life? Can we ever be empowered enough to make decisions free from expectations?”
I enjoyed this one too Jayne and my own grade agrees with yours. Apart from a very sweet romance, what I liked about it the most was the portrayal of the diversity within Indian culture – that’s it’s isnt’ “one size fits all”.
I bought this due to Jane and Sarah’s reviews on the DBSA podcast and I was disappointed! Just found the heroine stupid beyond words, like she had the brain of a child and found I was skimming it. So disappointed as I expected to love it.
@Janhavi: Wow. I didn’t look at them but yeah, they seem pretty loaded and insensitive.
I don’t know who typically writes those questions. The author? Someone else at the publisher?
@Janhavi: The mind boggles at those questions and how they’re framed.
@madmlb: Late to the party, but I couldn’t agree with you more. The heroine’s childishness ruined the book for me.