Title: The WindfallAuthor: Diksha Basu
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Middle aged website developer, Mr. Jha sells his site for more money than he and his family could ever imagine. With this new income the Jha's buy a new house and car and move out of their familiar neighborhood in Dehli to the fashionable Gurgaon neighborhood. Adjusting to their new home, new neighbors, and to becoming empty-nesters as their son studies in America is a lot of change all at once. Can the Jha's balance the old and the new?
My Thoughts
This is a very cute story of the struggle that comes along with suddenly accumulating great wealth and not knowing what to do with all of it. Mr. Jha is very concerned about "keeping up with the Jones" or the Chorpas in his case. This leads to something along the line of A Comedy of Errors. Everyone in the novel knows something that someone else does not, causing a lot of suspense throughout the story. Mrs. Jha doesn't want to ruin her husband's excitement about their move, even though she is uncertain. Mr. Jha just wants the new neighbors to see how rich they are. The neighbors are worried they are not wealthy enough. The Jha's son is struggling in school, but doesn't want anyone to know....and so on.
While some people enjoy that kind of suspense, I personally find it stressful. Other reviews have said that his book was one to make you laugh out loud. Like I said, it was cute, but I did not find myself overcome with laughter. This may be due to the fact that I did not grow up in India or from an Indian background, so maybe some references or cultural norms were lost on me.
I did enjoy the part of the novel that focused on the young widow Mrs. Ray and her modern decisions after losing her husband at 37. Highlighting the strong traditions that still run in Indian culture, watching her navigate the dating world was amusing and sweet.
If you are looking for a quick read highlighting the missteps associated with new wealth, then this book is for you.
Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!
To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
This is a very cute story of the struggle that comes along with suddenly accumulating great wealth and not knowing what to do with all of it. Mr. Jha is very concerned about "keeping up with the Jones" or the Chorpas in his case. This leads to something along the line of A Comedy of Errors. Everyone in the novel knows something that someone else does not, causing a lot of suspense throughout the story. Mrs. Jha doesn't want to ruin her husband's excitement about their move, even though she is uncertain. Mr. Jha just wants the new neighbors to see how rich they are. The neighbors are worried they are not wealthy enough. The Jha's son is struggling in school, but doesn't want anyone to know....and so on.
While some people enjoy that kind of suspense, I personally find it stressful. Other reviews have said that his book was one to make you laugh out loud. Like I said, it was cute, but I did not find myself overcome with laughter. This may be due to the fact that I did not grow up in India or from an Indian background, so maybe some references or cultural norms were lost on me.
I did enjoy the part of the novel that focused on the young widow Mrs. Ray and her modern decisions after losing her husband at 37. Highlighting the strong traditions that still run in Indian culture, watching her navigate the dating world was amusing and sweet.
If you are looking for a quick read highlighting the missteps associated with new wealth, then this book is for you.
Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!
To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
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