Review: Take me to India
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 4, 2013
This book took me to a place I have never been (India), which is what is so good about it.  The story centers on, Rani, a young female journalist working for a Hindi newspaper. When she is summoned by her wealthy aunt to Rampur to help in her cousin's wedding, Rani acquiesces, placing herself in the middle of a mean dysfunctional family squabble.  Headed by the patriarch Vir Singh and his wife Savitri (Rani's aunt) and supported by a cast of backstabbing children, Vijay, Roop, and Anjali, the family is constantly on the verge of a meltdown. Meek, gentle-hearted Durlabh, the stuttering castaway stepson (Vir Singh's son from his first wife) whose marriage to the daughter of a high-ranking government official is being planned, is the only sympathetic member of the family. Immediately, the reader senses that Rani and Durlabh, though different from each other, are kindred in their empathy for the lesser people around them (such as the servants). As the story unfolds, we see the intricate familial relationships and the secret behind the family's ill-gotten wealth begins to unravel. The father's dark past is roto-tilled and brought to surface, including the mysterious demise of Durlabh's  mother whose violent death brought about Durlabh's stuttering meekness.At first, I had a difficult time getting the names right.  Between the immediate family and the servants, there was a lot to keep track of. But such is the accepted drawback of reading books set in exotic lands. Anyway, once I got past that, I began to enjoy the story.  I loved the prose and descriptions of the Indian countryside like the fields of mustard, wheat, and rice, and the smells of the busy Rampur train station.  Indian culture pervades the pages of the book such that I felt I was actually in the pre-wedding ceremony with the smells of the crushed henna leaves and the sounds of drums and bells.  More than a mystery, this is a literary novel with a strong plot and depth readers will enjoy.