July 11, 2017

The Mango Season


"We don't do that here." ~ 4%

It has been seven years since protagonist Priya Rao visited home (India). She escaped arranged marriage by enrolling in a master's program in the United States and then conveniently found a job in Silicon Valley. But now Priya is out of excuses. So what better time to visit home than during mango season. While she was growing up, summer was all about ripe, sweet mangoes. Maybe the dripping juice will be a distraction from the news she dreads telling her family.

Priya is engaged to (gasp!) an American man. Her family will not approve. He is not Indian and certainly not Telugu Brahmin. In fact, they are all arranging her marriage to a nice Indian boy. Before it goes too far, Priya has to spill her secret. The best time to tell everyone is while making mango pickle with her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. She has to choose love or family.

"Family never came in neat little packages with warranty signs on them." ~ 26%

As an American, I am not familiar with the traditions of marrying in the same caste or having a spouse chosen with no say in the matter. Here in the United States, it is quite common to mesh cultures. So I enjoyed reading this book about a culture so different from my own. I like how author Amulya Malladi explained the Indian culture and let readers see this world from our Americanized eyes.

No worries if you didn't read The Mango Season when it was first published in 2003. I didn't either. But you can fix that now by reading the recently published edition. Grab a sweet piece of fruit, preferably mango, and settle in for a good read on a hot sticky summer day.

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are honestly my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: The Mango Season
Author: Amulya Malladi
Published: May 2017
Pages: 240
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

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