This is such a delightful look at modern India that I really hope the author writes more books. Most reviewers on Amazon have noted that this is not "like Jane Austen" as the publisher has stated on the book jacket.
Mr. Ali is retired and starting to drive his wife crazy so he decides to open a marriage bureau. I found all of this fascinating since our American culture is about love matches rather than arranged marriages. I enjoyed the look at what seems to be important to modern Indians in their desire for the perfect mate - though it seemed to be the family who had the input into what was required in a partner.
When the business takes off Mrs. Ali is the one who finds Aruna, the quiet young woman, to be Mr. Ali's assistant. She is such a wonderful person and really deserves a match of her own but their family is poor and her father is a bit of a tyrant. All will turn out wonderfully well in the end. I was intrigued by the divorced woman whose family has cut her off. She had managed to get a flat out of her divorce and now owned a business but she was still interested in finding a mate. She's tired of be invisible.
Mr.and Mrs. Ali's son is a protester against the exploitation of farmers by multinational corporations. This gets him into trouble with the law, makes his mother unhappy and his father angry. Of course they are also concerned that he isn't married.
This was such a wonderful book, I'm sorry it's over and I want more.
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