Working on the dual notions of a family curse affecting only the women and an astrological prediction that spells doom, this is a YA novel with a decided twist.
Arjun’s annoyance about his abrupt popularity for being Indian when he was formerly shunned and bullied for it is rather amusing and certainly not what you’d expect to find in a YA book. Often boys and girls find that they’re the focus of others when they get taller or grow breasts. Arjun’s problem is one of cultural appropriation. I don’t know much about the Indian tradition but this book promises to give the non-Indian reader a broad glimpse into another culture. However, Arjun’s main dilemma lies elsewhere—his silent and unrequited love for the indifferent Madhuri.
For her part, Madhuri is determined to beat the curse. There’s no way she’s going to let a chance affair derail her scholastic plans. She’s a typically modern independent woman and she shudders at the notion that “true love” will cause her to abandon her dreams. It’s the same terror that made feminists in the 1970s eschew learning how to cook, sew or clean house; they feared that adherence to these domestic chores would force them into the roles of housewife when they had bigger plans to be career women.
So her proposal to Arjun is done with the hope that this will foil the curse. He’s a best buddy to her, someone she could never fall for romantically. Right?
The two leads in this farce are engaging in their own right. Initially, Madhuri does come off a bit shrill and off putting, given her denial of her Indian roots. But she simply refuses to be bound by what she considers to be flagrant superstition. She’s fierce, competitive, intelligent and college bound. For his part, Arjun is sweet, kindly, respectful to his elders and great at lacrosse. Maybe he’s not the scholastic genius Madhuri is, but you know what they say about opposites attracting.
The problem with this setup is the one I find with certain romantic fake relationships—one member of the couple is deceiving the other. Technically, Arjun isn’t lying to Madhuri about his feelings for her. But he’s still keeping them hidden when he decides to become part of Madhuri’s plot. That’s deception and means Madhuri is going to be furious when she finds out about it (and they always find out about it). You just know he’s going to be using this fake partnership to make her fall for him the way he fell for her and there’s something inherently sleazy about that.
So while this first look wins for certain points of originality, the nature of Arjun’s feelings leaves a sour feeling in the gut.
Arjun’s annoyance about his abrupt popularity for being Indian when he was formerly shunned and bullied for it is rather amusing and certainly not what you’d expect to find in a YA book. Often boys and girls find that they’re the focus of others when they get taller or grow breasts. Arjun’s problem is one of cultural appropriation. I don’t know much about the Indian tradition but this book promises to give the non-Indian reader a broad glimpse into another culture. However, Arjun’s main dilemma lies elsewhere—his silent and unrequited love for the indifferent Madhuri.
For her part, Madhuri is determined to beat the curse. There’s no way she’s going to let a chance affair derail her scholastic plans. She’s a typically modern independent woman and she shudders at the notion that “true love” will cause her to abandon her dreams. It’s the same terror that made feminists in the 1970s eschew learning how to cook, sew or clean house; they feared that adherence to these domestic chores would force them into the roles of housewife when they had bigger plans to be career women.
So her proposal to Arjun is done with the hope that this will foil the curse. He’s a best buddy to her, someone she could never fall for romantically. Right?
The two leads in this farce are engaging in their own right. Initially, Madhuri does come off a bit shrill and off putting, given her denial of her Indian roots. But she simply refuses to be bound by what she considers to be flagrant superstition. She’s fierce, competitive, intelligent and college bound. For his part, Arjun is sweet, kindly, respectful to his elders and great at lacrosse. Maybe he’s not the scholastic genius Madhuri is, but you know what they say about opposites attracting.
The problem with this setup is the one I find with certain romantic fake relationships—one member of the couple is deceiving the other. Technically, Arjun isn’t lying to Madhuri about his feelings for her. But he’s still keeping them hidden when he decides to become part of Madhuri’s plot. That’s deception and means Madhuri is going to be furious when she finds out about it (and they always find out about it). You just know he’s going to be using this fake partnership to make her fall for him the way he fell for her and there’s something inherently sleazy about that.
So while this first look wins for certain points of originality, the nature of Arjun’s feelings leaves a sour feeling in the gut.