The Jhas family’s new wealth enables them to buy a house in the richest area of Delhi and Anil Jha tries unsuccessfully and hilariously to tell their old neighbours and friends that they are moving away. Between moving and adapting to new luxuries, Anil Jha finds himself in competition with his new neighbour, Dinesh Chopra, over showing off their wealth; his wife, Bindu, is worried that their son Rupak is going to marry an American girl; and Rupak doesn’t know how to tell his parents that he is failing at university and that he has an American girlfriend, Elizabeth. In the meantime, Bindu’s friend, Reema Ray, worries about falling in love again in her forties.
This is a lovely and entertaining novel. I enjoyed learning about the Indian culture that the author explores through the eyes of both the older, conservative generation and the younger, adaptable generation. The characters are likable and ridiculous and the setting is atmospheric and exotic. The nosy and intrusive neighbours, the rivalry between Mr Jha and Mr Chopra over who is richer and who has the laziest son, and the various misunderstandings and mix-ups will make you laugh out loud. (NP)
