As followers of this blog can tell, this isn't a genre that I normally read, but then this was a book written by a friends wife and we almost always buy books written by friends and family. At some level it is obviously to do our bit in increasing their sales / circulation, but I think there is also a thought at the back of the mind, that we hope to get an "inside look" into our friends and their minds and maybe their lives too.
Half Love, Half Arranged is Itisha's first novel and its quite a quick and easy read. Its not a typical Mills & Boon type story. Its more a Discovery of self. Somewhere between a Bridget Jones Diary and Confessions of a Serial Dieter.
Rhea Kanwar is Punjabi, 30, unmarried and tending to fat. A situation, completely unnatural and in quick need of correction for her concerned mummyji & daddyji. The pressure gets to Rhea too and she decides to do anything necessary to be married before her 31st birthday, including registering herself on shaadi.com
Her elder sister Pia is "happily" married with a kid and another who gets delivered along this book. Her younger sister Sia moves from Gothic to Minimalistic in the same time frame. And Rhea meets guy after guy, hoping and wishing and praying that "this is the one"
The cast are all easily identifiable characters for anyone who has lived in Delhi, or has watched Queen / Monsoon Wedding / Khosla ka Ghosla etc.
Half Love, Half arranged is a quick read. LOL funny in places and deeply sensitive in the questioning of her own identity. There are quite a few twists and turns along the way. But Rhea's happy ending comes with the guy whom I liked best among all the ones she meets through matchmakers and websites. I also identified much more with him because of the traits he shares with the guy that "I" married.
Its a beautifully, easy read, while also a voyage of self discovery. Its not painfully soppy, but quite "slice of life". Pick it up for yourself or a gift for friends who enjoy this genre - fans of Helen Fielding, Anuja Chauhan, Koel Puri and the like.
No Rating as it is written by a friend.
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