For Matrimonial Purposes

Library Journal

Writer and fashion correspondent/editor for CNN, CNBC Asia, and publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Daswani has written a charming debut novel that could be seen as a milder version of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary with a distinct Indian flavor. As the novel opens, readers are introduced to 33-year-old Anju, who is attending a family wedding in Bombay while on a two-week vacation from her job as a fashion publicist in New York. As narrator, Anju relays all the trials and tribulations she is subjected to by her well-meaning parents and relatives as they attempt to find her a suitable husband for her and marry her off according to Indian customs. Writing with dry wit and liberal doses of humor, Daswani goes back in time to follow Anju's search for matrimonial bliss from age 21, in the process offering insight into Indian culture and traditions as well as a behind-the-scenes peek at the fashion industry. While the conclusion could have been a little more fleshed out, readers will find it hard to stop themselves from cheering for Anju as she gradually transforms from a na ve young woman into a savvy, independent Indian American living in "Umrica." Recommended for all fiction collections and essential for libraries serving Indian populations.-Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

My big fat Bombay wedding. Anju's parents expect her to have a traditional arranged marriage, like her just-wed younger sister, but Anju has other ideas. Besides, she's already (at 28) past the most desirable age, and the astrologer her nervous mother consults sees no bridegroom soon. Kindly relatives counsel patience. An Internet search of eligible Indian bachelors turns up a few prospects, but none interesting to Anju, so she persuades her doting parents to let her try her luck in America, under the watchful eyes of an amiable uncle in New Jersey and his scolding wife. Watching TV and landing a job in New York fashion merchandising immerse her in Western culture, but in matters of the heart, she's deeply conservative. Dating an all-American guy is a tricky business, she finds, especially when he refuses to sneak away from the nosy relatives she spots at the restaurant, who are sure to tell all to her faraway family. What to do? Traditional Indian men will regard her as too independent and experienced (though she remains a virgin), but she can't revert to the innocent girl she was in Bombay. A trip home for her cousin's wedding only confirms this fear-and her mother's unsubtle efforts to introduce her to as many men as possible drive her nutty. She talks her parents into letting her return to New York, explaining that many Indian stockbrokers and accountants live there, too. But her ceaseless efforts to find a suitable mate often border on the absurd, as in this communication from a cyberchap: I am blameless innocent divorced man. I before have married to crazy-demented white woman, only for purposes of green card. Am seeking wife number two. I am honest, good person. Please be good ande-mail me by return. Appealing story, with a fine ear for dialogue and a tender wit: an auspicious debut for Los Angeles-based fashion correspondent Daswani. Agent: Jodie Rhodes