Book Review : One $ a half wife by Meghna Pant
Introduction
Introduction
- ISBN : 9789381626481
- Price : Rs. 191
- Pages : 296
- Publisher : Westland
Unlike most Indian immigrants, Amara malhotra is not destined to achieve the American Dream. Much to the anxiety of her parents - the spirited Biji and the doting baba - Amara leads an unremarkable life. That is, until she marries a harvard - educated millionaire, Prashant Roy. However, this fairytale isn't meant to last.
About the author
A financial journalist by day and a writer by night, Meghna Pant is the editor of a business magazine. She has formerly worked as a TV anchor for NDTV Profit and Bloomberg-UTV. her short stories have been published in over a dozen literary magazines, across four countries.
My recommendation
Meghna Pant has chosen a delicate and sensitive subject for her debut novel. Nevertheless, she has done complete justice to the subject and the narration that follows.
The story revolves around the life of a girl next door, Amara Malhotra. Born in a conservative family, the sequence of Amara's life is decided by the whims of her mother. The two big dreams that Biji places in her life are a Green Card and Amara's marriage to an 'Amreekan' guy.
The plot begins on the mall road of Shimla in the year 1991. Biji takes Amara across SoothSayers to know what is the Almighty's wish for the man of her life. It is then that the ringneck Parrot steps out of its cage and declares that Amara shall be "A one and a half Wife". Not knowing what this shall mean and where it will lead her to, soon they get their Green card and the Malhotra family begins their journey to be Indian immigrants carving a niche for themselves in America. In the transit from India to America, they could neither ever become fully 'Amreekan' nor could they continue to be completely Indian.
Amara faces lot of hardships in adjusting to the American ways and is always overshadowed by her cousins who are immigrants in the truest sense, for they were born and brought up the American style. Light shines upon the Malhotra family when an affluent Indian immigrant's family choses Amara to be their daughter-in-law. Amara is soon wed to Prashant, the young eligible bachelor, who neither rejects nor accepts the decision of his mother for his marriage.
Amara's dreams get shattered when after a span of 6 years, Prashant declares that he is unwilling to carry the burden of a loveless marriage. Meghna Pant has beautifully captured every emotion that lie in the heart of a girl who is coping with a broken marriage, the society's humiliations and the contempt of her parents. We still live in a society that has modernized in its dressing, yet orthodox and conventional in their thoughts. A divorcee girl/woman is a curse to the family and the society she lives in. Amara is an outcast, with even her parents not willing to understand her. The pain that she undergoes and the ray of light and hope that comes in the form of Shikha Didi, another divorcee who got re-married at the age of 37, much to the scorn of the society is well described. Shikha's successful life breaks the morose silence of Amara's life and she feels she can give herself a second chance.
In the quest to create an identity for herself, Amara does everything that the MODERN INDIAN SOCIETY considers forbidden. Later, she meets a man who understands her the way she is, lets her be and values her priorities and her decisions, someone who gives her the space she deserves yet is close to her. She couldn't have asked GOD for more.
The story's end brings in a sense of fulfillment and contentment. There is light at the end of the Tunnel. Keep Walking and yes it's true. Settle down in life for what you think is right, not because what others have to say. people have their own priorities and ways. Hold the remote control to your happiness in your hands. In the journey of life you'll meet someone who accepts you the way you are, no changes/ no updates. That is when you should settle down. They say bells start ringing when you meet the right person. Indeed it does.
Overall Rating
4.5/5
Recommended reading for everyone who value literature and are sensitive to the needs of life.
With Love,
Megha S.
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