18 March, 2015

#BookReview :: Hooked, Lined & Single by Rashmi Kumar


If you are a woman in your 30s, and are yet unmarried or deserted or divorced, living in India will make you belong to a category which finds extremely hard to find the right man to just be with. Such women will be labelled as cynical, and acquire disastrously special statuses such as unreasonable or demanding or chronically single or bossy! In this title, one such woman is pleading with God, asking the same question that might be resonating inside the minds of the rest of her kind – “where have I gone wrong?” Alafia Singh is on a similar journey, as she has set out to find a life partner for herself, but by following traditional methods. Will she be successful in her attempts? 

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Alafia Singh, our protagonist, is in her 30s now and wherever she looks, she finds people getting married and settling down. Her life seems to have become stagnant and at a point where she starts to wonder if there is something wrong with her. So, she sets about actively looking for a match for herself through any and all sources available to her. ‘Hooked, Lined & Single’ narrates Alafia’s story as she meets prospective grooms and her experience of this part of her journey.

Alafia is a strong and likeable character. Her individuality shines through the novel. A lot of people will be able to relate to her directly too. It was kind of fun to have her as our protagonist, because feels like one of us common people who make the masses yet is never under the spotlight. I have a bone to pick about her character though. I was never completely sure about her motivations behind wanting to find a groom, marry and settle down. Was it because she had reached a stage where she truly wanted that for herself? Or was it more because of the pressure she felt as she saw people around her doing the same? At time it felt like she was ready for it and that is something she wanted for herself, but then again at times it felt like it was because everyone around her was settling down that she needed to do the same. It might be because of this, that I found the conclusion to the story to be perfect.


There were a host of other characters that made an appearance in the book. Each had their unique quirks that added to the story. But they all played the ground levelly and no one else particularly stood out. The plotline is simple enough and the author has done an impeccable job of keeping her narration witty and engaging. When I picked up this book, all I was expecting was a ‘masala’ type of novel that would make for a light read of couple of hours. The novel delivered on that account and offers bit more. There are lots of laugh out moments, moments that will make you contemplate life and moments that will warm your heart. My only gripe with the story is its pace in the middle. It felt like we were not making any progress at all and it became a bit droning for a while.


2 comments:

  1. Story of many women in our country, seems like an interesting read.. Thank you for the review!

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  2. Sounds interesting, I haven't read a novel with a main character from India.

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