But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways. The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?ĭimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him-wherein he’ll have to woo her-he’s totally on board. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right? Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Menon not only tackles the topic here but does so with aplomb, conveying what drives both sets of parents without letting them become stock stereotypes.The inspiration for the Netflix original series Mismatched!Įveryone is talking about this New York Times bestselling rom-com that Mindy Kaling called “utterly charming!” Eleanor & Park meets Bollywood in this hilarious and heartfelt novel about two Indian-American teens whose parents conspire to arrange their marriage.ĭimple Shah has it all figured out. The idea of arranged marriage is a tough one to broach in fiction - and not just the young adult kind - for fear of villainizing characters with more conservative beliefs. Instead, the novel focuses on what it means to be young, fall in love, and follow your dreams.
Neither one is looking to fully define their identities - an important journey but one that can often be the focus of coming-of-age tales.
But it is as each teenager tries to navigate this, along with what they want for themselves and each other, that both characters become fully realized. Dimple bristles against her mother’s more traditional desires for her (marriage, grandchildren, etc.), while Rishi remains devoted to his parents’ similar hopes and dreams for him (an engineering degree, marriage, etc.). Dimple and Rishi offer two different lenses through which to view the second-generation Indian American experience.
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