Author: Anuradha D. Rajurkar
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date Started: 8 May 2021
Date Finished: 15 May 2021
The synopsis sounded interesting and coming from India, I thought I could relate to the story and the characters. Also, Goodreads had more than 4 stars and I trusted the reviews and thought of getting it.
The story is about Rani Kelkar, who is an 18-year-old girl and a high school senior. Her parents migrated from India to the USA and have a traditional parental style, which forbids Rani from even talking to boys much less dating any! Rani is good with her photography skills and meets Oliver Jensen during one of her exhibitions. Oliver is As secure as Rani is with her family and the lifestyle, Oliver on the other hand comes from a troubled family, with divorced parents and a sister who is dating a married man and is pregnant with his child. Oliver with tattoos, his passion for art, and his background would be a perfect nightmare for Rani's mother Uma.
Rani and Oliver meet in school start dating and fall in love. Rani tries to hide Oliver from her family, but her best friend Kate is the one she confesses to everything going on between her and Oliver. Rani is teenager a torn between the South Asian culture she was brought up in and the American culture she is growing up in. Rani is so madly in love with Oliver that they end up sleeping together. Oliver tries hard and is desperate to fit into Rani's world, and she feels she is being disrespected.
The death of her beloved grandfather takes her to Pune, India from the world she has known in Illinois. She goes out with her cousin Shalini and realizes that her passion is photography and not medicine which her parents want her to pursue. She also understands the background her parents come from and why they behave the way do! Ultimately Rani comes back to the USA along with her parents and pursues her dreams.
In the entire book, my favorite character was Rani's friend Kate. Kate is a feminist and loves her mother for standing up for herself. She tries to live life the way she wants and does not believe in societal norms. She protects Rani from her parents when Rani and Oliver want to be together. Due to Oliver, both Rani and Kate end up fighting and bitterness looms in their friendship. Kate is mature enough to forgive Rani after she receives her letter and be supportive of her friend.
This book was a YA read and did not have the grip to hold my attention for the most part. I felt the books were repetitive as well. I am not sure if the book failed to hold my interest, or if I am too old for this kind of story! Although I have heard Indian parents being strict, and I know kids who hide from their parents, I felt that Rani's adventures went unnoticed for a long time by her parents. It was hard to believe that Rani's parents did not know anything about the relationship between Rani and Oliver. The story did not have much substance for a long time until the family visited Pune, and Rani understood the culture, relatives, support, and her passion.
Favorite lines from the book:
- 2. My strict-ass parents - whom I love like a dog but who obviously drive me crazy - don't allow me to date.
- Ma and Baba will disown me just for maintaining eye contact this long.
- Whatever you resist will persist. So the next time you feel yourself fighting against something, allow yourself to rest in the discomfort of the thing.
- The human tendency is to attempt to fix what is broken, solve every problem.
- I still have Kate. I have a great family and I have Kate. Everything's going to be okay.
