Madhuri Iyer feels trapped by her fate. Her mother has predicted that during her upcoming senior year in high school her academics will suffer and she'll mess up her close relationships. Plus, she is terrified that the family "curse" of living happily ever after with her first boyfriend will trap her in a life she doesn't want. So she convinces her best friend since forever, Arjun Mehta, to participate in an experiment with her--to date with the expectation of breaking up to prove her mother wrong and break the "curse." What she doesn't count on is that her best friend may have deeper feelings for her, and that she's about to hurt him very badly.
Both Madhuri and Arjun are Americans of Indian descent in Southern California and live very much within that sub-culture. He embraces it more than she does, but both are trying to reconcile both sides of themselves and the reader gets to enjoy lots of glimpses of what that cultural intersection looks like. Both of them are experiencing the adolescent tension of figuring out who they are in a world that doesn't always make sense to them and is often cruel. Madhuri likes to believe that she's logical and in control, but in reality she's emotionally dysregulated and focused only on herself. That works well with Arjun because he is starved for love and is afraid he'll lose the little he has if he owns his feelings and sets healthy boundaries. Both of them are, at heart, insecure and don't know what to do about it--relatable to teenagers, if I remember that phase with any accuracy. I was impressed at the gradual maturation of both characters (rather than overnight, as is common in books and film), and loved them all the more for learning how to be healthier for themselves and for their loved ones.
Both Madhuri and Arjun are Americans of Indian descent in Southern California and live very much within that sub-culture. He embraces it more than she does, but both are trying to reconcile both sides of themselves and the reader gets to enjoy lots of glimpses of what that cultural intersection looks like. Both of them are experiencing the adolescent tension of figuring out who they are in a world that doesn't always make sense to them and is often cruel. Madhuri likes to believe that she's logical and in control, but in reality she's emotionally dysregulated and focused only on herself. That works well with Arjun because he is starved for love and is afraid he'll lose the little he has if he owns his feelings and sets healthy boundaries. Both of them are, at heart, insecure and don't know what to do about it--relatable to teenagers, if I remember that phase with any accuracy. I was impressed at the gradual maturation of both characters (rather than overnight, as is common in books and film), and loved them all the more for learning how to be healthier for themselves and for their loved ones.