Rating: 4 out of 5.

‘A slice of India’, that’s how I would describe this book. The story is set in Vizag and is filled up with numerous characters like the young Muslim widow Pari, the doctor Ramanujam and his wife Aruna, the activist Rehman who is Mr. and Mrs. Ali’s son, the cunning and jealous neighbor Swaroop who are part and parcel of every Indian neighborhood. The story revolves around Mr. Ali who is the proprietor of a marriage bureau and all the characters are somehow connected to Mr. and Mrs. Ali in one way or the other. There are multiple threads of stories in the book that does not allow the book to become boring.

The plot also brings in Naxalites who mix it up and make the story a little bit more thrilling and contribute to the action. Overall its almost like a masala movie with all the right ingredients like action, romance, comedy and a bit of tragedy as well.


There are some really good moments where at the start of the book, Mrs. Ali can be seen wondering on why god created crows and how towards the end her son is in fact saved by crows. It is only towards the end that I realized that there was in fact a series with Mr. Ali’s marriage bureau being the central theme. I am looking forward to reading the other’s as well. Overall a nice book and totally entertaining.

Recommended Reading Age for this book: 13+

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