Eastern Promise

An British Indian woman goes to India for a huge family wedding, managing to combine the trip with work on a documentary about a nearby spiritual retreat with a new-found reputation for miracles. I quite enjoyed it but felt a bit uncomfortable at the very stereotypical Indian family dynamics and characteristics, which feel worse coming from (I assume) a white British author.

The book touches only briefly on Priya's reaction to being in India - a scene in which we are told, rather than shown, her feelings of being a foreigner in her "homeland". Far more internal dialogue is spent on the various men in her life and her mother's nagging, because after all this is first and foremost a romance. The plot is very larger-than-life Bollywood (even Priya notices this, in between angsting over men and her career) and I think every character is slightly exaggerated and stereotypical. Perhaps it's just a stylistic choice.

http://rmc28.dreamwidth.org/424490.html ( )

Part of the Hen Night Prophecies series. Priya Gupta, award winning documentarian, is also the daughter of traditional Indian parents and feels that her family cares more about her single status than her work. When the Guptas travel to India for her younger sister's wedding, Priya's work and love lives collide when she meets Noah at an ashram she's doing a documentary about. Cute, great setting, likeable characters. Wrapped up a bit quickly at the end, but still recommended. ( )