#BookReview :: Untruly Yours by Smita Shetty

To some Natasha Iyer has it all - Living the life of an affluent NRI, wife of a prominent Psychologist and mother to a cheeky 11 year old. However, behind closed doors, cracks are beginning to appear in her seemingly comfortable relationship with her professionally consumed husband, Rakesh. Although Rakesh seems content with his alpha neatness-fetish-melodramatic wife and bright son; Natasha yearns for romance, passion and excitement. Ironically, the Psychologist husband fails to read between the lines and Natasha is left to her own devices to deal with her unresolved emotions. An unexpected call from India takes her through a journey of self-discovery with her devastatingly handsome work colleague, Steve. She uncovers in some aspects urban India has changed considerably but equally, deep-rooted social issues still prevail in the so called modern, educated, changing society. A chance encounter with her 'blast from the past' - Veer, adds to the emotional rollercoaster ride. Her one-man-woman status of many years has failed to equip her with vital tools to deal with the unanticipated surge of attention from Steve and Veer. As she attempts to master the finer points of courtship, flirtation and seduction; her life spirals out of control. Natasha is compelled to make tough decisions about her love, friendship, marriage and parenthood.

This is a story revolving around a modern day female protagonist, Natasha Iyer. Natasha is a Bengali girl, married to a Tamilian who has now earned the status of an NRI. At first glance, she has it all. A well-to-do husband, a glamourous job, an eleven year old son and friends and colleagues she can depend on. But as one takes a closer look at her life, one realizes that not everything is as it seems. Her husband is completely focused on his career and a son who is almost handful. She doesn’t get along well with her mother-in-law and has only her father-in-law who sympathizes with her. End of the day, she is lonely and yearns for romance and companionship from her spouse. When a call from India takes her on a trip back home, she decides to take some time in order to find herself and look for what she really wants for herself.

This is a story that essentially deals with the journey of a woman, who is dealing with her mid-life crisis and trying to rediscover herself. We take on a rollercoaster journey as we meet Natasha, Rakesh, Steve, Priti and Veer. Intent on clearing her head about her relationship with her husband, Natasha is also forced to deal with other situations back at home and nothing is as easy as it should have been. My only concern in the whole story was the turnaround time in the mentality of Natasha’s friend who had tried to commit suicide.

The story is told simply with a dash of humour. The characters and situations may mostly present a sense of deja vu for most of the readers and it is simply because the author has managed to keep the characters and most of the situations very true to life. Most of us will be able to identify with one of the characters in the book and if not then we certainly know someone who can. There’s ofcourse a happy ending, but the story deals with the ups and downs of life that comes before the ‘happily ever after’ and ends with a positive note.

Overall it was an entertaining read that managed to keep a hold on me till the end.

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