Title: An Incurable Insanity by Simi K. Rao
Published October 8, 2013; Tate Publishing
Genre: fiction
"Tell me, what have I done to deserve this? To marry you, be ready to spend the rest of my life with you, then suffer rejection not once but twice. Do you know how humiliating it is? How many nights have I spend wondering what sins I was being punished for?"Synopsis: Shaan Ahuja found himself bowing to tradition and agreeing to an arranged marriage to the beautiful Ruhi Sharma. He went through the motions but had no intention of carrying through on his vows. His last foray into matters of the heart with an American girl had left him scarred and unwilling to try again. Thoroughly disillusioned and disgruntled, he wasted no time in making his intentions clear to Ruhi on their wedding night. But, he was completely unprepared for what his new wife had in mind. (publisher)
"No, Ruhi, you've done nothing wrong!" The words came out in a rush as he folded her tenderly in his arms. (p. 172)
My comments: An interesting story of an arranged marriage of two people who settle in Los Angeles after their marriage ceremony in India. It's a love story of how the reluctant husband eventually comes to cherish his rebuffed wife. I learned a lot about the Indian culture and was taken behind the scenes of some traditional unions, what a couple might have to go through before they settle into the inevitability of an arranged marriage. In this novel, the final outcome is predictable, and the characters a bit stereotypical. The wife Ruhi, for example, seemed at the beginning just too perfect; Shaan later becomes just too love struck. These points could be the main drawback for a reader, though I did appreciate the behind-the-scenes look at potential problems and potential happy outcomes for this type of marriage.
Simi K. Rao was born in India and lives in Denver with her family. This book is her first. The inspiration for the story came from the immigrant community. Some of the experiences are her own; some are from friends and conversations with acquaintances. She also writes poetry, is an avid photographer, loves to travel, and is a practicing physician. Connect with Simi on her website, Twitter, Facebook.
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Excellent review, Harvee. It sounds interesting, because I do not know a great deal about the workings of arranged marriages. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting, even if it was a bit predictable. My mothers best friend had an arranged marriage.
ReplyDeleteTo those of us who have lived in cultures where it unfamiliar, arraigned marriages seem such an unusual thing. On the other hand they were common in certain economic groups in the West in past times. I mention that because this situation, where an initially loveless and cold arraigned marriages evolving into one of warmth and love, is actually fairly common in history.
ReplyDeleteWish I liked this more bec the premise sounded pretty interesting. Sorry this was a fail for me. http://guiltlessreading.blogspot.ca/2013/10/an-incurable-insanity-by-simi-k-rao.html
ReplyDeleteThis sounds very interesting - adding it to my list! Thanks for linking up to the Immigrant Stories Challenge. I will be hosting again in 2014 - hope you will consider joining!
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