Book Review of “In Pursuit Of Infidelity” by Sujata Parashar

In Pursuit Of Infidelity

By Sujata Parashar

 

*spoiler alert*

Infidelity nowadays is as common as a headache. It can happen anytime. And it really isn’t as weird. Or so people say/think.
People write/talk about what they observe. Looking at the number of stories being written and published on this subject (of infidelity) it makes one wonder about the changing times of today.

In Pursuit of Infidelity by Sujata Parashar is one such story about Sheena, a busy professional, happily married (or so she thinks) to Gaurav. Both are trapped in the worldly woes of a professional life in Delhi, trying to make for a better future for themselves and their son Krish.

Sheena does not really feel the love towards Gaurav, but it’s her commitment to marriage and family that keeps her going. That is, until temptation comes calling. She bumps into her long lost love/crush- Nikhil and when he too confesses of being in love with her, Sheena faces the eternal dispute between her conscience and her heart.

Her work takes her to Mumbai and she ends up giving into her heart’s desire with him. She decides to walk out of her marriage. But when she returns home, it’s time for Gaurav to leave for Singapore on business. She decides to hold on till his return. But what happens in Singapore doesn’t remain in Singapore.
Gaurav ends up being attracted to Anita and one drunken night sees them breaking all inhibitions. Anita realizes their mistake and requests Gaurav to never contact her or be in touch with her.
Back home, Sheena stumbles upon Gaurav’s deed and feels cheated. She then walks out on him and demands a divorce.
What happens next is something I leave for the readers to find out.
(Yeah, it would be too bratty of me to give out the entire story here –albeit I’ve marked the spoiler alert!)

The narrative is quite smooth, yet captivating given its decent pace. The characterization is quite relatable to. But there were some points that ticked me.

Sheena was anyways set to call quits. So why did she feel so hurt and cheated on Gaurav’s infidelity? Ego hurt you say? Well, I don’t quite seem to agree with that. It was quite selfish on her part. Just because she wasn’t “caught” being unfaithful she put the entire “fall out blame” on him. Super selfish!

Secondly, all of us have moments of weakness. In this case, Nikhil happened to catch the right nerve and press it hard. People, especially girls/women, need to be the ones in control of their lives. The moment you show that you are vulnerable, people prey on you.

Also, being dissatisfied with (married) life doesn’t give you the license to cheat. You better be brave enough to own up to things.
And what about the sacred vows couples take during their marriage ceremonies? Why marry at all then? Why not just live in the moment with “no strings attached”?

Sheena is scared and worried about societal pressures and anxieties that come along with. But why doesn’t she think about them while indulging with Nikhil? Yes, there is no such thing as right or wrong, and sometimes everyone gives in to the moment…then why does she not come out clean with Gaurav? Why is he made the scapegoat who ends up carrying the entire blame!?
Well, to each his own.

Coming back to the writing, the “bedroom scenes” have been crafted very subtly. The mellow version of passionate love that the characters indulge in is quite concise. She could’ve explored that a bit more.

The author has well presented a hard-hitting fact/reality of life. It is a perceptive story that makes you think about the on goings in your life. Quite deeply. Overall, a good read.

Book Review of “Size Eight in a Size Zero World” By Meredith Cagen

Size Eight in a Size Zero World
Meredith Cagen

This one is not about fad diets. Thank God!

The story is essentially about Lindsay Chandler – a thirty-something New York lady – a working wife-and-mom of two. She seems to have the “picture perfect” sort of a life.

Lindsay is married to Grant, a high-profile divorce attorney who treats her like a subservient slave, ignores the children completely, is a bully, and basically, not-a-good husband/human being.

Lindsay isn’t like the other uptight Manhattan wives. She raises her two kids, Kristen and Jake, with good values and ensures quality upbringing. She has a day job; and she takes care of her house and does the cooking, cleaning herself. In spite of doing all that she considers her duty she receives no appreciation. And her work place is full of pin-thin blonds who are simply looking for rich men, to become trophy wives.

Her two other friends, on hearing about her pathetic relationship with her husband are on the lookout for someone nice for her. But one day as Lindsay steps into the elevator of her building, she bumps into her upstairs neighbor – a smart, successful, intelligent, charming man and they strike a good rapport. Over time, Lindsay falls for him. He appreciates her, compliments her, and seems genuinely interested in her. He even befriends her kids.

This liaison makes her question her life and relationship with her husband. She decides to re-invent herself and change her life.

Down the road, realizations hit her. She finds out about how the man only used her to walk up the corporate ladder. She feels betrayed and heartbroken towards the end, but all for a reason.

There are a lot of things we tend to take at face-value. But what lies underneath is an ugly truth. The truth about life, about people and how things actually are. Lindsay learns it the hard way. Her affair teaches her a lot about people and relationships. The book reflects the face of society today and is a pretty mature read. It comes with a message that we needn’t rely on others to prove our worth. We need to love our self and our life.
The book is uplifting, smart, funny and unpretentious.

The simple language and the slow pace initially bothered me. But soon I started caring for Lindsay. What wasn’t really appealing initially became quite interesting towards the middle. The book talks about relationships, love, infidelity. The characterization is very good and believable. I’m sure many a working women would relate to Lindsay’s character and feelings.