NEW RELEASE
The Wedding Season - Su Dharmapala (2012)
Shani is perfectly happy being single at 32. She's got a good job as an accountant and her own home in Melbourne. But her Sri Lankan mother is desperate to find her a man during the upcoming wedding season - particularly as it is a very auspicious time for her to settle down. Her mother uses astrological charts and iPhone technology to connect her with suitors who are then invited to a meet-and-greet at the family home, with Shani serving up curries dressed in traditional sarees. Her dad just wants to watch the cricket in peace. Meanwhile as her friend Amani struggles with motherhood, Shani literally feels the foundations of her life fall apart. This is a very funny insight into a different culture and includes a glossary at the back to help you out with any unfamiliar terms.
The Wedding Season, by Su Dharmapala, is about a single girl whose Sri Lankan mother arranges a parade of suitors. The summary says: "Meet Shani - she's thirty-two, single, lives in Melbourne and has a job to die for. And she likes her life just the way it is, thankyou! So why do her family and friends insist on trying to convince her that the only way to the perfect life is meeting the perfect man? When Shani's horoscope miraculously reveals that now is the best time of her life for marriage, Shani's mother decides to take control. Turning a deaf ear to Shani's protests, she arranges a parade of potential grooms, in the hope that her shamefully unmarried daughter will salvage the family honour by finding - finally! - Mr Right. But true life, like true love, can get very complicated. Amidst a riot of hilarious dates with would-be husbands, Shani has to cope with a minor Machiavelli at work, a house that is literally falling down around her ears, and a neurotic mother with serious cultural baggage. Worst of all, her best friend, who seems to have it all, is sliding into depression, and Shani seems powerless to help. Through a flurry of curry, cricket, sarees, and sumptuous ceremonies, Shani comes to learn that love comes in many disguises - and degrees of satisfaction - and that life is a one-shot game, even if you do believe in reincarnation." The Wedding Season is out in May.