Those Delicious Letters-Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta

Book: Those Delicious Letters
Author: Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta (aka The Bong Mom)
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Do you think letters convey an emotion that no other medium can?

Those Delicious Letters by Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta is the story of Shubha, a quadragenarian, settled in the United States who starts receiving mysterious letters from an old lady in Calcutta, who claims to be her grandmother. The surprising part: each of the letters carries a traditional Bengali recipe. While not a person fond of cooking, these recipes bring a feeling of nostalgia and she gets sucked into the world of forgotten food, one letter at a time. Her flavors become a favorite with everyone, except her husband Sameer who is too busy to be at home to taste them. Intrigues by the letters, Shubha tries looking for the old woman, and in the process unravels her past, allowing her to travel to a time past. Balancing her search for this woman, the feeling of success and saving her marriage, Shubha tries to find the recipe for her life.

The plot of the book is extremely well crafted, with attention to minor details. Sandeepa has blended the two languages with such ease that it just feels right as we read the Bengali terms interspersed with English, almost as if one has cooked the cholar dal, with just the right amount of sugar. The story is very touching and the manner in which it moves stirs nostalgia inside a person, specially if they have lived in the area of Kolkata and its suburbs. The book was an amazing ride down the lanes of the food that is a part of the Bengali culture and this is an excellent way of keeping some iconic recipes alive. Coming back to the story, I loved the manner in which the story has been divided and the concept of an Inland letter getting delivered every month to Shubha, and how those transform her life. The idea of providing the recipes in the book was an added bonus! Taking the idea of a mid-life crisis and how people usually behave, Sandeepa has shown a flair for research before penning down this book. The plot has no holes, and frankly, I was drooling at times while reading the book. One thing that deserves a mention in the review is the true idea of the book right till the end when it all comes together. Frankly, the climax was something that was unexpected, and I actually brimmed up when those things unfolded.

Coming to the characters, the book has some very interesting assortment of characters that are funny, quirky and what not, sometimes at the same time. Shubha, our protagonist, is an interesting study as she believes to be above all vices that one has, yet falls prey to the simplest of them. A confident woman who makes her own choices, I loved the way her character arc was sketched and developed through the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations in her head, and sometimes not! Kajol as a character impressed me with her belief systems and her trust in Shubha and her team. I loved the character of Jai, and would have loved to see a bit more of him than the doi maach scene. Coming to Sameer, I am amazed as to how much detail would have gone in creating his arc, with all the things happening. I am awestruck by how Sandeepa hid some details in plain sight that seem obvious in hindsight.

Overall, I simply loved the book and I am happy I read this one. Those Delicious Letters is not just a book, but an experience akin to having a food-infused journey through the eyes of the writer. The impact of the story can be seen by the fact that I could taste the flavors and imagine the letters as they were being read out. The book is a complete full course meal from Hing’r Kochuri to Khichuri and finally completing the palate by the ever favorite Sondesh.

The book is almost perfect with a score of 4.94/5 for me.

 Grab a copy of the book here. 

Check out her website here.