Excess Baggage-Richa S. Mukherjee

Book: Excess Baggage
Author: Richa S. Mukherjee
Publisher: HarperCollins India & Black Ink

Have you ever taken a solo trip?

Excess Baggage by Richa S. Mukherjee is a story of discovering one’s own self, and the value of relationships in life. Lately, things have been going wrong in Anviksha Punjabi’s life. She has almost ended her second marriage, barely has any friends, and gets into major trouble at work. Adding to this, she lives with her sexagenarian mother, who is overbearing to a fault. On the edge of a breakdown, she takes a decision to take a trip to discover herself across Europe. However, like all things in Anviksha’s life, this one also turns into something unexpected when her mother insists on tagging along! With an unlikely pair travelling across Europe filled with nudists, past that comes face to face in the unlikeliest of places, and a British dog named Bhindi, this trip turns into a life altering experience for the two of them.  

Excess Baggage is a very different kind of a story that explores an interesting relationship. As Richa notes in the book as well, the mother-daughter relationship is usually not a tumultuous one, and that is what this makes the story quite engaging. The storyline is simple but explores a multitude of topics and has a liberal sprinkling comments on societal taboos and stereotypes. With Anviksha and Smita, we get to see two perspectives on similar situations, more than once. The backstory of the friction unveils slowly, and it was quite interesting to see that each of the characters has their own baggage of the past, and hence the title is very suited. The storytelling is something that has become almost a signature of Richa’s with some moments in the book that’ll make you laugh till the stomach hurts, all the while driving a point home. The first part of the book is quite pacy and is quite fast, the latter part becomes a bit slow and heavy with emotions as things start coming together. The book is quite well researched and there are a few scenes that have actual sources and footnotes. The climax is good and something that made me smile.

Coming to the characters, and the soul of this story. Richa has brought together an unlikely set of characters and some of the craziest ones. Starting with the Punjabis, who are not Punjabis, Anviksha as a character impressed me with the different layers that she possesses and the internal battles she is fighting. It was quite easy to relate to her, and I think she was an interesting representation of the people of that demographic today. Smita, with her overbearing yet protective nature, was the representation of the classic Indian mother who will say what she wants to her kid, but will bite the head off any outsider trying to cast aspersions on her offspring. With packets of home-cooked food being carried, and the emotional blackmail, it was very amusing to see the character come to life. Aakash as a character was interesting, though we see mostly of him through texts, but was an integral part of the story. Peter, Tully Masi, Preeti and the extended family were the icing on the cake and just made the story alive with their antics, and how I can I forget the amusingly named Mutton and Bhindi, two names for pets I have never come across, and probably won’t again.

Overall, Excess Baggage is a story of love, emotions, relationships, and how history which might seem to be some useless excess baggage being tagged along, is something to be cherished, and is something which makes us what we are today.

The story scores a 4/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book here.