Book Review | When Dimple Met Rishi | By Sandhya Menon
YA Romance
My thoughts
Narrative and Plot
When Dimple Met Rishi is told through the young and vibrant voices of Rishi and Dimple. Each character had their own worldview and they were never afraid to express it which in turn reflected in the tone of the story. However, at times, the abrupt shifting of narrative within the same chapter breaks the flow of the story. It then feels like a scene from a play rather.
The plot is your typical Bollywood love story. And the book makes some references too. Any book that quotes “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge” has to be entertaining.
Characters and Conflict
Dimple and Rishi are two strong individuals. Their ideologies are poles apart, their inherent natures are different. And yet, “kismet” brought them together as the ying and yan. When these two get together, it is a joyride. The chemistry between the characters is unmistakably adorable. The sub plot romance was a bit predictable but still the supporting characters had enough space and layers which made their presence meaningful.
The conflict in this book is something I could personally relate to being an Indian and all. The clash of tradition and individuality and this constant need to give up one thing for the other is quite an identifiable conflict if you’re an Indian. If you’re a non-Indian, please leave your thoughts in the comments on how you saw this book.
There are a lot of Hindi words used in the book. If you enjoy, that kind of mixed everyday language, it wont bother you at all.
However, the one thing that bugged me most was the age factor. Now, I understand this is a YA book and I am not the target audience. Even so, as much as I accept that it is natural for an Indian girl’s family to think about marriage, the groom won’t be an eighteen year old. I mean the legal age for marriage is 21 for an Indian man. And don’t even mention, the expectations of the bridal party in terms of the education and career of the groom. Which is why, the entire concept of setting them up by families didn’t feel real.
Other than that, this is a simple and sweet romantic story. I can name a handful of Bollywood movies with similar themes.
Conclusion
Are you the girl who still can’t get over that smile when you hear the song “Pehla Nasha” ? Are you the guy, who still uses that same punch line “Bade bade desho me…” from DDLJ? If so, then this is the book for you. It is a sweet love story, one that is based on ideology, tradition and the concept of destined lovers.
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