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Title and Author: The Perfect Groom by Sumeetha Manikandan
Print Length: 162 Pages
Publication Date: Indireads, January 2014
Language: English
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Indian Writing, Desi Romance
by Sumeetha ManikandanPrint Length: 162 Pages
Publication Date: Indireads, January 2014
Language: English
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Indian Writing, Desi Romance
Book Review:
What do you do when you are stuck in a loveless marriage?
Should you try and come out of this predicament knowing that it will most likely break your mother’s heart and ruin your sister’s future?
Or Should you just go on living and feigning happiness to everyone around?
Nithya is stuck in such a dark pit of a marriage where there is no way out for her. Ashok, her husband, is rich, handsome, lives in the U.S and provides Nithya with a comfortable existence except that all this is without any intimacy, love or support from him as her husband. There marriage is a sham. In the public eye, Nithya is so blessed to have snatched such a promising catch; what with her being a dependent raised on the charity of her Uncle and Aunt who leave no occasion without reminding her of their sacrifices to support her, her sister and her mother. Add an always demanding mother-in-law who is always making Nithya feel guilty of her inability to produce a child or blaming her for all of Ashok’s vices; and a father-in-law who knows everything but has chosen to keep silent and harass his daughter-in-law into silence too, the mix is deadly and depressing for Nithya.
What do you do when you are stuck in a loveless marriage?
Should you try and come out of this predicament knowing that it will most likely break your mother’s heart and ruin your sister’s future?
Or Should you just go on living and feigning happiness to everyone around?
Nithya is stuck in such a dark pit of a marriage where there is no way out for her. Ashok, her husband, is rich, handsome, lives in the U.S and provides Nithya with a comfortable existence except that all this is without any intimacy, love or support from him as her husband. There marriage is a sham. In the public eye, Nithya is so blessed to have snatched such a promising catch; what with her being a dependent raised on the charity of her Uncle and Aunt who leave no occasion without reminding her of their sacrifices to support her, her sister and her mother. Add an always demanding mother-in-law who is always making Nithya feel guilty of her inability to produce a child or blaming her for all of Ashok’s vices; and a father-in-law who knows everything but has chosen to keep silent and harass his daughter-in-law into silence too, the mix is deadly and depressing for Nithya.
What will she do?
Will she fight against this injustice done to her or remain mute and let her Uncle, Ashok and her father-in-law threaten her with warnings of ruining her family’s future if she tells anyone the truth?
The Perfect Groom
is a difficult book to rate. While at first glance you think that this is a typical arranged marriage gone wrong story, once you start getting better acquainted to Nithya and the other characters, you start noticing the novelty of the book. While the plot is nothing new, the treatment and the narration make this book a memorable read.I was hooked right from the start and felt totally invested right till the very end. A story that made me feel outraged, helpless, angry and then sad for Nithya, I just wanted to punish the people who thought they could easily sacrifice a person’s life as if she was nothing. Making a person feel indebted to you is one thing but making him feel helpless, hopeless and ashamed is totally another and this is what Nithya had been made to feel all her life. While her mother had been made a servant, she and her sister had been a constant object of ridicule and made to feel worthless and indebted to her Uncle and Aunt’s gesture of providing a roof over their heads.
Sumeetha makes her characters real and we can easily connect them with the many similar people we have met in our own lives. Taking a very common concept of arranged marriage in India, Sumeetha has brought to light the exploitation, unreasonable demands and the complaints a woman faces at the hands of her family or relatives for things that are not in her hands but apparently still her doing. Nithya is a strong woman who has endured the worst in her life but is still hopeful of one day leaving her depressing marriage behind and find a new life. I admired Nithya’s strength and felt sorry for her. Her constant scrutiny by her mother-in-law and the other women in her family and their conscious ignorance of her feelings and self-respect made me feel very angry and frustrated. I wanted Nithya to say something to them, to give them a piece of her mind but still could understand her reasons for keeping silent. Ashok, is a foul mouthed, spoilt and a total pig, in my opinion. He is unconcerned of his wife’s happiness and treats her badly. Had he wanted, he could have saved Nithya from this sham marriage but instead he married her under false pretenses and then told her the truth knowing fully that she could not do anything now. His mother and father are also the same or even an higher degree of hypocrites and signify the class of people who act all high and mighty with big principles but are in truth the lowest level of scum with their narrow thinking and obsolete ideals. Nithya’s mother lacks the backbone to stand up to her step sister but still manages to shield her daughters on several occasions through pure diplomacy. The romance when it comes in Nithya’s life is like a burst of fresh air. I loved the emotional and physical chemistry between Nithya and her love (i wont tell you his name. Read the book to find out.) and fervently hoped that she get her much deserved happily-ever-after.
The story is beautifully set in the beautiful Mylapore and Sumeetha gives us a glimpse into the life and aspirations of a bride and her sense of responsibility after marriage. The scenes are emotionally charged and take the reader on a roller coaster ride which is bound to leave you shaken and touched.
I immensely loved the book and congratulate the author on taking up such a serious topic and doing justice to it. The story of many women in India, I think everyone will relate to Nithya. Super shiny 5 on 5 to The Perfect Groom
and a strong recommendation that you do read the book. I definitely look forward to read more from the author.I received the book from the author and the tour organizers and I am very thankful to them. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
Amazon.in: Kindle Ebook
Author Interview–> Heart-to-Heart with the Author: Sumeetha Manikandan
Q1. In one
sentence, what is your book about?
sentence, what is your book about?
The Perfect Groom is a romance novella about
a girl trapped in a loveless marriage and her struggle to come out of it.
a girl trapped in a loveless marriage and her struggle to come out of it.
Q2. When did
it come out? Who is the Publisher? Any notable awards or praise for it?
it come out? Who is the Publisher? Any notable awards or praise for it?
Perfect Groom was published last May by
Indireads. It hasn’t won any awards so far but I have got many rave reviews
that is very encouraging.
Indireads. It hasn’t won any awards so far but I have got many rave reviews
that is very encouraging.
Q3. What
inspired you to write this book?
inspired you to write this book?
I heard an anecdote about how a girl was
married off to a boy from US and her subsequent struggles. That’s what inspired
me to write the novella.
married off to a boy from US and her subsequent struggles. That’s what inspired
me to write the novella.
Q4. How did
you get your first break as an author?
you get your first break as an author?
The Perfect Groom was written as a script for
a serial initially. I saw Naheed’s (my publisher) ad in some site asking for
stories, so I sent the script to her to get an opinion.
a serial initially. I saw Naheed’s (my publisher) ad in some site asking for
stories, so I sent the script to her to get an opinion.
Q5. What has
been the biggest surprise or learning experience you’ve seen through the
process of seeing your book(s) get published?
been the biggest surprise or learning experience you’ve seen through the
process of seeing your book(s) get published?
Biggest learning experience was that it was
not enough to write a book but you need to learn how to promote it too J
not enough to write a book but you need to learn how to promote it too J
Q6. Tell me
about a fun moment or proud experience you’ve had with your book and readers
since the book got published.
about a fun moment or proud experience you’ve had with your book and readers
since the book got published.
Fun moment was when I suddenly updated my
facebook page as an author and I got no less then ten mails from friends, who
had no idea that I wrote! One of the proudest moments of this journey was when,
I got a mail from one of readers who said that whatever had happened to Nithya
had happened to her. Her only regret in life was that she didn’t have a ‘Vasu’
waiting for her at the end of the ordeal.
facebook page as an author and I got no less then ten mails from friends, who
had no idea that I wrote! One of the proudest moments of this journey was when,
I got a mail from one of readers who said that whatever had happened to Nithya
had happened to her. Her only regret in life was that she didn’t have a ‘Vasu’
waiting for her at the end of the ordeal.
Q7. What are
you doing to reach out to readers and book enthusiasts?
you doing to reach out to readers and book enthusiasts?
I have been blogging actively and giving
interviews.
interviews.
Q8. What is
the one thing that you hope readers take away after reading your book?
the one thing that you hope readers take away after reading your book?
Though
the book deals with a complicated issue, at the end of the day, it is a
romantic story. And as with all romances I hope to deliver passion and happy
sighs that we get when we read a nice romantic tale.
the book deals with a complicated issue, at the end of the day, it is a
romantic story. And as with all romances I hope to deliver passion and happy
sighs that we get when we read a nice romantic tale.
Q9. If someone
were to tell you one thing before you started writing, what do you wish it had
been?
were to tell you one thing before you started writing, what do you wish it had
been?
If
someone had told me that I would one day get published, I would have started
writing ten years ago!
someone had told me that I would one day get published, I would have started
writing ten years ago!
Q10. What is
your overall impression of the writing industry? Any advice you would like to
give to the aspiring authors?
your overall impression of the writing industry? Any advice you would like to
give to the aspiring authors?
Writing industry today is abuzz with many new
authors and novels. As an aspiring author, if you wish to stand out then, you
need to have an impeccable language and a natural flair for story telling.
Write, write and keep writing. If you are in for the long haul, then you will
turn deaf ears to bad reviews and keep writing.
authors and novels. As an aspiring author, if you wish to stand out then, you
need to have an impeccable language and a natural flair for story telling.
Write, write and keep writing. If you are in for the long haul, then you will
turn deaf ears to bad reviews and keep writing.
Q11. Where can
people find you on the Internet?
people find you on the Internet?
I am very active on Facebook. You can connect
with me on my Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/Sumeetha.Manikandan.Author
with me on my Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/Sumeetha.Manikandan.Author
Q12. What’s
next up for you, writing-wise?
next up for you, writing-wise?
My second novel is complete and is with the
editor. This one will be a paperback.
editor. This one will be a paperback.
Nice review and the interview is interesting too… 🙂
Enjoyed the interview – both questions and answers. And of course, the review too 🙂
Thank you Nikita for this fabulous review 🙂