Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine where you showcase which books you’re looking forward to being released.
Hello! So I haven’t done a Waiting on Wednesday in a while and I thought it’s time I updated you on one of the books I’m eagerly awaiting.
Recently, I’ve been trying to find more diverse and #ownvoices books, and the novel I’ve picked for this week definitely hits both targets: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.
UK Release Date: 30th May 2017
Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the Ideal Indian Husband. Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers right?
Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him wherein he’ll have to woo her he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.
The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this suggested arrangement so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?
Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.
I think this sounds like such an interesting book. In the Western world, the idea of an ‘arranged marriage’ sounds archaic and controlling to most. However, we have to understand that other cultures do things differently; and just because it’s different it doesn’t mean it’s inherently wrong. After all, we were arranging marriages not that long ago in the 1800s.
It’s also a subject I’d love to educate myself more on. I remember when I was younger, I had a friend called Kavita who was Sikh. Her parents’ marriage had been arranged and at first that totally baffled me as a 10 year old. But it had worked out great for them – they got on really well and clearly loved each other, so I remember learning about Kavita’s culture in a really positive light.
Also, Dimple Shah reminds me of my friend. She’s Indian but living abroad, her surname is Shah and she’s always moaning about how her mum wants her to find a nice Indian boy. I imagine Dimple is going to be a lot like my friend and I am determined to make her read this book and for this to be the first book she’ll actually finish and enjoy.
So yes, I’m pretty excited for When Dimple Met Rishi.
Are you looking forward to this book? Any other diverse 2017 releases you can recommend? Let me know in the comments below!
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