I don’t normally review books on my blog but I start with the review of Sumeetha Manikandan’s novella “The Perfect Groom”.
“The Perfect Groom” is a woman’s journey towards being her own person
Sumeetha Manikandan’s novella, “The Perfect Groom” brings the old world charm of the novels written in seventies and before and yet is set in modern milieu; partly in India (Chennai and Mumbai) and partly in the strange country US. It is a rather difficult theme to handle for a first time author and but Sumeetha has tackled it very well.
Her depiction of the pretensions in traditional families and that extend to the nuclear families, even if they live in another country is authentic. The complex situations that arise as a result of hypocrisies in conventional Indian families touch your heart.
The story moves smoothly. Nithya is married off to Ashok, an NRI by her heartless Chittappa in connivance with his friend. Ashok is gay and in relationship with Sunil. Nithya spends three loveless years in USA, living with Ashok and his gay lover in the same house. She hides her tragedy even from her mother and sister, both dependent on Chittappa. The irony of her tragedy is that she is being constantly blamed by her in-laws for not bearing a child. Her mother-in-law is not even aware that her son is in a gay relationship. Her life seems a dark unending tunnel. It is only when she meets Vasu, who had been falsely accused of a theft by Chittappa and had gone away that life changes for her. This Vasu is successful, rich and well-off. He also knows that Ashok is in a gay relationship. He can be a savior and he is willing too. But Nithya is her own person, an independent woman who wants to make her own decisions.
A quote of Nithya sums up what she stands for.
She tells Vasu, “I got married because of Chittappa’s pressure. Getting a divorce is the first independent decision that I have taken in my life so far. I need time to get used to the idea. I need time to forget these three years. I need time to forget a lot of things that have happened. I am not ready for another relationship right now.”
I’d recommend ‘The Perfect Groom’ to anyone – especially women readers. Sumeetha handles the complex theme with aplomb.
The Plus Point: Sumeetha Manikandan’s novella, “The Perfect Groom” is an intimate and honest story about a woman trapped in a tragic situation and her journey to become her own person.
The Minus Point: “The Perfect Groom” doesn’t have much conflict and depth necessary to lift the story further up.
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