Sheetal Prasad is a beautiful young Indian woman who is in love with a man that is considered below her means. Her heart was broken by the man she loved when he chose money over her. Her father has already made arrangements for her to marry Sanjeet Dhanraj. Sanjeet is a highly respectable business man but his family has many secrets. The backdrop begins with Sheetal getting ready for her wedding which her family has spent a great deal of money on. The elaborate Indian wedding is one that is the talk of the town and her father has put up a huge dowry for her to wed Sanjeet Dhanraj. Sheetal moves in with Sanjeet after they are married and amazed at the amount of secrets and deceptions that are kept. With a husband who begins to play mind games and a Mother in Law who is determined to control every aspect of Sheetal’s life; Sheetal finds comfort in the only thing she knows her paintings. She is beginning to learn that there is something seriously wrong in the Dhanraj household things that her Mother-in-Law wants to hide. Force by his step-mother to start showing Sheetal some attention he begins to fall in love with her against his own will.
Anju describes in great detail Sheetal’s wedding and the details that are involved in an Indian wedding. This was an outstanding book. One that demonstrates how women choose between duties doing what is expectant of her and desire what she believes is right for her. At times Sheetal’s duty and desire intertwine but still in her own right becoming the modern day Indian woman.
I highly recommend this book. It is a great read that goes into the elaborate planning of Indian weddings; but most importantly a woman’s choice between Duty and Desire.
Have you ever had to choose between Duty and Desire?
The Queens Haven 