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A Good Indian Wife: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Anne Cherian
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $12.95
You Save: $11.00 (46%)
New (31) Used (15) from $8.48
Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 235547
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.5
ISBN: 0393065235
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780393065237
ASIN: 0393065235
Publication Date: May 7, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A clash of hearts and cultures set against the divergent backdrops of rural India and downtown San Francisco.
Handsome anesthesiologist Neel prides himself on his decisiveness, both in and out of the operating room. So when he agrees to return to India to visit his ailing grandfather, he is sure he'll be able to resist his family's pleas that he marry a "good" Indian girl. With a girlfriend and a promising career back in San Francisco, the last thing Neel needs is an arranged marriage.
Leila is a thirty-year-old teacher in Neel's family's village who has watched too many prospective husbands come and go to think her newest suitor will be any different. She is well past prime marrying age; her family has no money for a dowry; and then there's the matter of an old friendship with a Muslim boy named Janni.
Neel and Leila struggle to reconcile their own desires with the expectations of others in this riveting story of two people, two countries, and two ways of life that may be more compatible than they seem.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 loved this book October 29, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I felt it gave insight into the Indian family, culture and arranged marriage. I hope if she writes another she is more descriptive of the food as I had no idea what things were that they ordered in restaurants. I was reminded of Amy Tan's books that explored the Chinese Culture. As an American this culture is foreign to me and very interesting - I hope she writes more books, I would definitely read them.
Well done, very realistic October 21, 2008
I just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it. The character of Neel is tricked into going to India with the ruse that his grandfather is dying. Once there his family skillfully manipulates him into marrying beautiful, educated, spinster Leila. Neel is under the belief that he can get a quickie divorce in the United States and continue his relationship with blonde, American,Caroline. I thought this book was highly realistic with how Neel was leading on both Caroline as well as Leila, making decisions simply by refusing to make a decision. I especially thought the author did a good job of showcasing Neel's inner conflict between the customs of India with his newfound beliefs in the United States. Leila's thoughts at being caught in a trap of a false marriage was also well-done. I look forward to more by this author.
 I tried... October 6, 2008
The story sounded cute, I kept reading even when ever other word was virry. Yet, the story became so predictable, I hoped for a twist or suprise, no. The characters were one dimensional and not that likable.
An Indian-American Romance September 9, 2008
Anesthesiologist Neel Sarath has it made. A successful Indian-American doctor with a home in San Francisco, an expensive car, and a tall blonde girlfriend he wants to marry, he only has to get his traditional family to accept her. His mother calls from India to say his beloved grandfather has taken a turn for the worse. Neel returns to his homeland to pay his last respects and returns with an Indian wife he doesn't want.
Leila Krishnan is an English teacher from Neel's village in Southern India. When the Saraths approach the Krishnans to propose an arranged marriage, the Krishnans are thrilled at the prospect of their old-maid daughter marrying an American doctor. But Leila is soon disappointed with her new life. Her husband's great house is "a barren flat," he works long hours and he refuses to touch her. Being married to Neel proves even more difficult than adjusting to life in the United States.
Can Neel and Leila make an arranged marriage work in modern American society? Can they live peacefully together without knowing if they have anything in common? Will Neel even give Leila a chance?
Anne Cherian's novel A Good Indian Wife explores what it's like to be a new Indian-American. Neel forsakes anything Indian while his fellow Indian doctor Sanjay incorporates Indian culture into his everyday life. Is one's culture something deeper than the practices of those around them? Neel is a bundle of contradictions. He marries Leila to honor his grandfather, yet planned to divorce her as soon as the old man died. He claimed not to care about his family's desires, yet he didn't marry the blonde girlfriend because he knew they would disapprove. Why can't Neel escape his Indian past?
A Good Indian Wife is engaging and thought provoking, a combination of India and America, tradition and modernity, oneness and individuality. I couldn't put this book down.
by Jennifer Melville
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
great central characters, lousy stereotypical supporting cast August 21, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The book's main characters are believeable enough and are well-written with a good storyline. BUT, and this is huge, Cherian seems to rely on vacuous stereotypes when writing any other character in the book. Take Rekha, who is an American of Indian descent who attends UC Berkeley in the San Francisco Bay ARea. Portrayed as the typical American Born Confused Desi with no clue about of her cultural heritage, Rekha also seems insensible to the vast social and professional network of South Asians in the Bay Area as well as the numerous shelters/services provided specifically for South Asian women. She goes to UC Berekely with its enormous South Asian population and yet seems clueless as to how many outreach groups there are to help South Asians. As for the white characters, they may as well just have labels- Golddigger, Indian Fetish Guy, or Indian Fetish Girl. Unfortunately, the inadequacies in Ms. Cherians knowledge of "white" Americans and Americans of South Asian descent ruins what is otherwise an interesting novel.
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