Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake by Preeti Shenoy
My very good friend, A, had come down recently, bearing gifts. She gave me a few books, this one amongst them. A few months after her visit, I finally got around to reading this one. Like most books by Indian authors, I found the story line very intriguing. The story is about a plump, not conventially good looking (its the PC word for ugly), girl, Nisha, who out of the blue, finds her dreams turning true. The story follws her life over 8 years, where her dreams shatter and she is forced to pick up the pieces and start all over again.
I have reduced my reading of books written by Indian authors, as I don't find the book actually living up to the expectations set by the introduction on the back. However, I was not really dissapointed with Preeti Shenoy's writing, she writes lucidly, with acceptable grammar and has etched out most of her characters well.
Nisha, has been a neglected only child, who has lost her mother early in life and has also lost her father's attention. This shapes her to be what she is, a woman who is slightly awkward and starved for love and attention. Her life revolves around her work at a small-time travel agency and her colleagues, who while not her friends, provide her with the much needed human contact and acceptance.
Enter: Samir Sharma, the high-flying travel agency director, who seems to have it all. He is good looking, sophisticated and doesn't seem like much of a bad guy. Then follows the case of an opposites attract romance between Samir and Nisha, culminating in marraige. Then the problems start. It seems that Nisha is living in her own bubble, wanting totally different things from her husband, who tolerates her for most part. One day, he finally breaks-up with her, (over the phone!) telling her he is leaving her and their two children for another woman.
Then, for me, the story takes an intersting turn, with Nisha picking up her life and coming on to her own self. She is helped by Akash, a younger ex-colleague, who has been interested in her all these years. She also gets support from an elderly neighbour, Mrs. Billimora.
The story is good, and I also like the ending. The characters are for most part well etched, however, I failed to connect much with Nisha, not able to understand how she could have lived in her own world for 8 years! How she could have noticed but ignored the fact that her husband did not like or want children and was drifting apart. I do not understand or connect with such woman, but I suppose it must be possible given the plethora of books written about them.
All in all it is a good book, well written, with the author bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion.
I would rate it 3.5/5, reccommending to all who would like to read a good novel about relationships.
