The Naani Diaries-Riva Razdan

Book: The Naani Diaries
Author: Riva Razdan
Publisher: HarperCollins India

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What would you choose if you had a choice between being happy and making a compromise?

When overachieving New Yorker Radhika Anand is dumped by Siddhant, her boyfriend of two years, she is devastated. With the threat of loneliness looming large, she turns to the only woman she can expect empathy from-her grandmother: her beloved Naani, whose own legendary love story in the 1960s has been recorded in an old diary. Radhika abruptly decides to relocate to Bombay-to the comfort of her Naani's home and the veritable circus of the Arranged Marriage market. But if Radhika is serious about finding a suitable match, she must pay no attention to Zain Rajan, the sexy 'bad boy' next door. A big-hearted novel about love and family, this book has it all: from witty banter and clever observations to a Big Fat Indian Wedding.

There are very few books that capture the essence of good old romance so perfectly, specially in a book that is 500+ pages. Riva captures the idea of love and romance across 3 generations beautifully and through the eyes of Gayatri, Mangala & Radhika. Influenced by the love story of her grandmother whose love story is recorded in the pages of a diary which becomes Radhika’s comfort read and begins to look for something just like that. Riva explores multiple themes in the book, right from infatuation to first love to unrequited love. The idea of spanning this story across generations is quite impressive as it also brings perspective into the story and keeps it interesting. What I loved about the story was the simple storytelling that keeps you hooked through the pages and yet there are moments where simple words leave a deep impact on you. Riva also puts a spotlight on how the arranged marriages are arranged and subtly questions various practices that have become a part of it. Another aspect I loved about the book is how Riva shows that while we might have a rosy outlook on life and want to look at the best parts of our past, there are shadows which might come back to haunt our present. Apart from love and marriage, friendship is a key aspect of the story and that aspect has been explored extremely well. There are multiple friendships that have been wonderfully penned and those add a wonderful aspect to the entire story. The climax brings the story to a close with as much grace as the storyline and I loved the way it ends.

The characters in the story are quite powerful, and the author has detailed out the background of the primary characters so that their intent and the motivations have context. Gayatri Anand’s character drives the story with her being headstrong and assertive through the ups and down of life. As a reader, there are quite some takeaways from her that can be implemented in one’s life to make it a bit better. Apart from her, Radhika’s journey is another one that inspired me, specially how she handles the downs in life.

Overall, the book is highly recommended because it addresses some very important questions as well as draws attention to the pressing issues that today’s generation faces. The book scores a 5/5 for me.

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