‘Welcome to Paradise’ is a sumptuous collection of five short stories that will likely touch a chord with readers.
Twinkle Khanna is out with her fourth book, Welcome to Paradise , a collection of five short stories, each with a central female character. Prepare to sink into their estrogen-laden world and feel feelings. The author has a knack for presenting the deepest thoughts and questionable actions of her characters without judgement, so don’t you dare judge either. There is a certain sadness in these stories, the kind that makes you sigh, not cry. The stories are devoid of melodrama, even though there are enough dramatic characters.
The first tale, titled The Man from the Garage , is really Huma’s story about the day her mother passes away. There is typical funeral drama, only exaggerated, as her mom was a Muslim woman married to a Hindu man, leading to amusement and odd conversations, which have in all likelihood happened in many family rooms at many funerals. It’s all very real and relatable.
Twinkle writes about women who are spunky to the core. She gives a distinct personality even to nine-year-old Sara. The nuances of the shared lives of three generations in this story are so wonderfully sketched. Sara protects her mother Huma, just as Huma’s mom did for Adil. Sara gets angry and fights (even bites!)—I did wonder if Sara’s violent streak, for which she gets sent to boarding school—was autobiographical. The author has often confessed to using real people and their stories as inspiration, so why wouldn’t she borrow from her own, having confessed to being a somewhat violent child. But I digress.
Let’s Pretend is about Amrita, of nearly-past marriageable age, and the special relationship she shares with her bed-ridden bua (aunt). Bua is closer to her than her mom ever was, and they have secrets. Bua helped her buy her first bra, eggs her on to date, and even writes a cheque when she needs it. They spend wonderful hours together over buttered pav sprinkled with salt and chilli powder.
Bua is pretending to be Reena Puri and playing more than […]
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