From the internationally bestselling author of The Windfall. . . . What could go wrong at a lavish Indian wedding with your best friend and your entire family?“A witty and romantic novel perfect for all readers.”—Terry McMillanNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE AND NEW YORK POST When Tina Das finds herself at a crossroads both professionally and personally, she wonders if a … herself at a crossroads both professionally and personally, she wonders if a weeklong trip to Delhi for her cousin’s lavish wedding might be just the right kind of escape. Maybe a little time away from New York will help get her mind straight about her stalled career, her recent breakup, and her nagging suspicion that she’ll never feel as at home in America as she does in India. Tina hopes this destination wedding, taking place at Delhi’s poshest country club, Colebrookes, will be the perfect way to reflect and unwind.
But with the entire Das family in attendance, a relaxing vacation is decidedly not in the cards. Her amicably divorced parents are each using the occasion to explore new love interests—for her mother, a white American boyfriend, for her father, an Indian widow arranged by an online matchmaker—and Tina’s squarely in the middle. A former fling is unexpectedly on the guest list, a work opportunity is blurring the lines of propriety on several fronts, and her best friend Marianne’s terrible penchant for international playboys is poised to cause all sorts of chaos back home. The accommodations are swanky, the alcohol is top-shelf, but this family wedding may be more drama than Tina can bear and could finally force her to make the choices she’s spent much of her life avoiding.
Infused with warmth and charm, Destination Wedding grapples with the nuances of family, careers, belonging, and how we find the people who make a place feel like home.
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I almost fell out of bed laughing.
A witty and romantic novel perfect for all readers.
It took me a while to get into it but I ultimately did enjoy it
A really interesting premise. So many can relate to being stuck in between cultures and not knowing how to assimilate while maintaining traction, making the family happy and still having your own life. Tina doesn’t really know where she fits in and isn’t sure how to fix it. Half in and half out and not feeling like she belongs anywhere all while dealing with her family and friends who are also going through their own dramas. Not easy and so common. Family responsibility, drama, and a bunch of friends that make her crazy. Interesting read.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
Tina, born and raised in America by her now-divorced Indian parents, travels with her family to India for her cousin’s wedding. This book has no distinguishable plot other than to capture the love lives of all of those encountered for the week of the wedding. While it’s a romantic book, it feels like more of a coming-of-age tale than a romance, despite all of the characters being over thirty. Each character is attempting to find out what makes them happy, whether that’s marriage, a lack of marriage, a new city, a new partner, or something else. The writing is unique, and switches perspectives often, capturing the thoughts of everyone from Tina and her family to their driver and the wedding planner. The amount of detail and way the stories are woven together into one book is truly fascinating, though the length makes it a bit of a slog, especially given the slightly stilted way things are phrased (I believe it’s a British English dialect, as opposed to American). Overall, the story is simply *interesting* to no end and if you hate one character there’s a dozen more to root for, making it a sure-fire enjoyable read. And don’t forget to read the chapter titles…
The premise is a good one. Tina Das, a 32-year-old Indian American, has never felt entirely Indian or American but more like “other”. She is also unfulfilled in her job as she struggles to implement reality-type tv shows set in India…while living in Brooklyn. Hmmm.
My problem with this book was two-fold, and I almost gave up on it. First, it needs a good editor. The writing was frankly a mess…run-ons, POV from characters who make one-second pit-stops in the narrative, very abrupt changes in location/POV, etc. Secondly, the potential for a narrative about finding oneself within different ethnic cultures through growth and experience was wasted. Instead, it seemed as if it was trying to be the screenplay for a New Delhi version of Crazy Rich Asians (no, I haven’t read that book but saw the movie).
Tina, her best friend Marianne, her dad, her mom and her mom’s boyfriend travel to New Delhi for a week to attend her cousin’s lavish, over-the-top wedding. While there, she pushes herself to find an Indian boyfriend (Sid is a struggling personal trainer/drummer that she met on a previous trip and auditioned for a now defunct show) to become more of her “authentic” self. The narrative (as highlighted by Sid) takes a detour to showcase the socio-economic discrepancies in Indian society. But there is no redeeming of these self-absorbed, two-dimensional characters.
In the end, while Tina did finally make a decision about her future, I felt no real growth or maturity on her part (or any of the characters for that matter). Honestly, I came away not invested in the story or the characters at all and feeling rather cheated, which was disappointing with such potential.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #BallantineBooks for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
Destination Wedding by Diksha Basu is a wonderful blend of contemporary and traditional cultures wrapped together into a week-long wedding celebration attended by a vast arrange of family and friends in present day India.
The main character Tina ,a 30s-ish woman, who lives in NY and is at a stalemate in her career working in media. Who is she in regards to where she is now and where her family is from? What does she want to do with her life professionally and personally? Where does she go from here?
Taking a break from the halted gears here at home, she travels with her bff Marianne, her mom (divorced from her dad), and her mom’s American boyfriend to a family wedding extravaganza in India. She figures this is a great opportunity to seek out some of the answers to these questions all while having a great time.
What I loved most about the book:
1. Reading about the landscapes, culture, habits, daily lives, and class structures of India. So much detail that was engaged all of my senses. I could almost see and feel all of the vibrant colors and happenings. I love to learn more about different cultures and locations. This, I feel, was the best part of the book.
2. While I was not so much a fan of the younger generation of characters, I did enjoy the vast array of characters in general. I did particularly enjoy the subplot involving Mrs. Sethi and Mr. Das. I found myself continuously interested in their story.
I think that as the week goes on, that Tina at least begins to sort out her thoughts, hopes, and dreams, and is beginning to figure herself out. Maturing and transformation is a life-long task, and is an ongoing struggle for us all. I hope this is a point that Tina Das can use to help her find her place in life. It would be interesting if a subsequent book could be written taking us into the future to see how everything pans out for Tina, her family, and her friends.
A memorable and light read that I truly enjoyed.
4/5 stars