Now, this is after ages that I picked up a romance novel to read. Made For Each Other- By Shivani A Singh. I interacted with the author on Twitter and then offered to read and review the book.
When the book arrived, I noticed it was 500 plus pages and priced at 500 INR! It was a dampener for me. I am habituated to reading novels with far fewer number pages. However, when I started reading it, I realised the book is typeset in big font and bigger line spaces, and it is much easy on the eye. Perhaps, as the story is set in the late sixties, the publisher and the author saw people of my age group as prime readers.
STORY
Made For Each Other by Shivani A Singh is a very mild linear formatted storytelling. It is set in 1968 when the erstwhile Maharaja were still somewhat of royalty and had enough fortune to live with grandeur. There were expected class differences between different royal families and cousins due to the status each could enjoy. And they had their own quirk and expectations from people and their family members.
So, two young people come in contact, and the love happens at first sight at Bhadeshwar! Yes, it does. There are issues as both are aware that the affair or love will never fructify into a possible legalised relationship and acceptance as a married couple. But then love is blind; they are deep into each other and are willing to bear every possible thing to be together. Is that falling in love between two wrong people not destined to meet?
Dev belongs to a royal family with business interests in Bombay and visits his uncle’s family. There he meets and falls hopelessly in love with sixteen-year-old Geetanjali. She is not part of the royal family but a distant cousin to the Maharani of Bhadeshwar. Her mother has left her father and lives with the royal family working as a secretary to Maharani. Dev’s family is equally messed up. His father is a womaniser and in love with a Begam. This brother dead after falling for a girl who herself committed suicide. And Dev blames himself for all of this. For him, family happiness is of paramount importance. He cannot propose marriage or talk of a marriage possibility with Geetanjali. But he can’t take her out of his system.
The story is simple and uncomplicated. There are very few side plots or characters. Whatever is there beyond Dev and Geetanjali is a way to explain and defend their behaviour.
ITS CONFLICT THAT MATTERS
The basic foundation of the story is the internal conflict between Geetanjali and Dev and their attempts to make adjustments. There are stories within the story and strong characterisation of Dev, Geetanjali and Doctor- the father of Geetanjali. The classic stereotyped bad bua and dadijee ( mother-in -aw of Geetangali’s mother) and her reason to leave the house. I, however, love and empathise with the character of Geetangali’s timid father. He s just trying to manage the house and keep things under the radar.
I find Geetangali a misfit in the country’s context and its culture at the age the novel is set. She is 16 with very much privileged living. She willingly gets into bed with a person she knows has no intention to marry. However, she is confident and stands up to every other thing that comes her way, it makes her an unrealistic character, but then that is how stories come. And that seems to be the only character that is out of sync.
The book starts at a pace, and you are immediately sucked into the narrative of love – romance and sex. And then, towards the middle, the author loses her grasp; the writing tries to hold your attention – but you start counting the number of pages left to read. And towards the end, the closure is a simple anti-climax. Things settle down too fast, and all the conflict created earlier evaporates in no time.
NET-NET
So, if you are a passionate romance novel lover, you may pick the book. It is a simple uncomplicated linear love story where the author has tried to use internal conflict and emotions in creating a mayajal of emotions to keep you engaged with the story. Sadly the illusion is not complete and you have a yo-yo ride through the whole novel. Sometimes engrossing and many a time asking you to check how many pages before you finish. If Romance does not kick you- leave it and you won’t miss anything.
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