It’s not easy to imitate Chetan Bhagat, as Judy Balan proves in this debut novel inspired by the best-selling Two States. Like Bhagat, Balan tries to portray the cultural differences between the couple’s Punjabi and Tamilian families. But without his humour, the result lacks punch.
The plot seems fresh and engrossing enough, especially at the start when the young couple is desperately seeking a divorce, flying in the face of opposition from their families. But Balan fails to bring either the situation or the characters to life. Deepika wants a divorce from Rishi for stealing her dream of becoming a writer and because he snores too loudly. Rishi finds her a nag. They have sex, go on holidays, bicker, leaving you unconvinced that they really do want a divorce.
Indeed, Balan herself appears not entirely convinced about the couple’s estrangement, glossing over the divorce in a few pages, and leapfrogging to a new chapter in their marital saga. As it turns out, all that is needed to save their marriage was for him to get nose strips to stop snoring. I didn’t think it would happen, but this book has almost convinced me of Bhagat’s hidden depths!
