The title is what drew me to this book. Bedi travels from Nairobi to India to meet his future wife, if she’ll have him. Fast forward to their adult children who have children of their own. Their memories and reflections tell the story of their family. There are some great observations in this novel but Bedi and Sushma stayed one dimensional. It’s a story about family and grief but I was unable to connect emotionally.

My review will be posted on Litsy under the book title, on IG and I have given it 3🌟 on Storygraph.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

India, March 1955: Bedi meets Sushma: A sweaty, breathless, and awkward young man meets a graceful, headstrong young woman. He immediately finds himself plunged into a philosophical discussion with her book-loving and intimidating father. After his mother's death, Bedi longs for safety and security in his job as a railway yard marshal in Kenya while Sushma yearns for adventure. They clearly have different goals in life, yet for some reason, they still agree to get married. We meet them again in 1994's Bournemouth, preparing for their adult children's visit. Unfortunately, we don't learn anything about their years spent in Kenya and London.

This novel explores our relationship with our bodies, death, grief, and the experience of first and second generation immigrants.

Especially in the earlier chapters, the POV switches abruptly between characters which can be disorienting, but also contrasts their lack of communication and outspoken closeness. The story is later told from their adult children's perspective, with Selena being the most insufferable and Tara being the most insightful.

I really enjoyed how Kalia writes about our relationship with our bodies in a frank and gritty way. By contrast, the inner reflections and conversations between characters felt quite stiff and sterile to me - philosophising and lecturing in an inspirational tone, yet with a mostly bleak outlook.

Kalia shows that he is an observant writer who doesn't shy away from authentic descriptions, and I hope in his future books, this will translate into a more naturalistic style of dialogue.

My recommendation: Kalia's writing is consistent, so just give the first 1-2 chapters a try and see if it clicks with you.

Thank you to Ammar Kalia, Oldcastle Books, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.