Destination Wedding by Diksha Basu
“David Smith. Very American. I imagine he loves grilled cheese sandwiches. I personally don’t understand how anybody over the age of eight can stand those.”
When Tina Das finds 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.
I was really excited to dive into a novel about an NRI (Non-Resident Indian) going to India for a wedding, something that most of us desis can relate to. The plot itself was relatively interesting, if extremely predictable. I also loved the little chapter headings, which were hilarious!
However, the language felt like it was for middle schoolers, which was a bummer since the main character is nearly forty (“It was hot in the lounge so her Guess fur vest was hanging off the chair behind her,”).
When Tina Das finds 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.
However, the language felt like it was for middle schoolers, which was a bummer since the main character is nearly forty (“It was hot in the lounge so her Guess fur vest was hanging off the chair behind her,”).
Also, can someone explain to me why this cover looks like it was designed in MS paint?
This book tried really hard to be a Crazy Rich Asians, but the main issue is that Tina is just so annoying. I suppose this could have felt fresh and exciting for someone who isn’t an Indian-American, but to me, it just felt awfully stale. Tina’s repeated insistence that she doesn’t fit in anywhere just sounds like adolescent whining. She’s constantly using her immigrant status to separate herself when the truth is that she just doesn’t want to fit in. Her insecurity and complaining got very old, very fast. This immigrant sob story is nothing new, and it’s so individual to every second generation immigrant that it’s impossible for this to feel authentic. For example, Tina’s insistence that she can move to India is … unrelatable. There are genuinely a lot of Indian people in America, Tina! They will be way more likely to understand you! There’s nothing wrong with moving to India, but her keeping it as a backup is wrong, because she knows nothing about the place and would definitely feel even more isolated there. Also, Tina, if you can’t even cross the street or stay away from street food, you are definitely not cut out for life in India.
This novel also ignored the sentiment of most NRIs: a love for the culture and people of India, but a deep distrust of the entrenched systems in India. This is unavoidable, and to skim over it is a blatant erasure of the immigrant life.
The story flows along as a sort of ensemble drama, where we hear about Tina, her parents, and her best friend’s struggles. But honestly, none of them were actually that interesting. None of the subplots were developed well enough and everything was either predictable or unbelievable. I wish we had gotten to hear more about Shefali (the bride); she’s snarky, rich, and lowkey panicking about her wedding. She seemed like the most interesting character and her few scenes made me laugh.
This book tried really hard to be a Crazy Rich Asians, but the main issue is that Tina is just so annoying. I suppose this could have felt fresh and exciting for someone who isn’t an Indian-American, but to me, it just felt awfully stale. Tina’s repeated insistence that she doesn’t fit in anywhere just sounds like adolescent whining. She’s constantly using her immigrant status to separate herself when the truth is that she just doesn’t want to fit in. Her insecurity and complaining got very old, very fast. This immigrant sob story is nothing new, and it’s so individual to every second generation immigrant that it’s impossible for this to feel authentic. For example, Tina’s insistence that she can move to India is … unrelatable. There are genuinely a lot of Indian people in America, Tina! They will be way more likely to understand you! There’s nothing wrong with moving to India, but her keeping it as a backup is wrong, because she knows nothing about the place and would definitely feel even more isolated there. Also, Tina, if you can’t even cross the street or stay away from street food, you are definitely not cut out for life in India.
This novel also ignored the sentiment of most NRIs: a love for the culture and people of India, but a deep distrust of the entrenched systems in India. This is unavoidable, and to skim over it is a blatant erasure of the immigrant life.
The story flows along as a sort of ensemble drama, where we hear about Tina, her parents, and her best friend’s struggles. But honestly, none of them were actually that interesting. None of the subplots were developed well enough and everything was either predictable or unbelievable. I wish we had gotten to hear more about Shefali (the bride); she’s snarky, rich, and lowkey panicking about her wedding. She seemed like the most interesting character and her few scenes made me laugh.
I was really hoping for a sweet light hearted story that explored the duality of being a second generation immigrant, but all I got was a hodge podge novel that stuck to the shallowest themes possible.
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