Refreshing like Coconut Water

When I am in India, I try to buy only things unique to India. This includes Indian music; literature… while we were at the Leela Palace Hotel http://www.theleela.com/hotel-bangalore.html, I made my way, slowly and deliciously, through the Oxford Bookstore in the adjacent shopping plaza, and picked up a few freshly published paperbacks by Indian authors that seemed interesting and spoke to me for whatever reason. The first,

Coconut Water, by Sujatha Viswanathan (Stellar Publishers, 2009), http://www.stellarpublishers.com jumped up to greet me with its refreshing cover art of the apt coconut tree on a blue water shore. Indeed, if my December trip to India had a theme, I think it would be coconut – I found myself attracted to all things coconut. (More next time about how that has influenced my Jaya Designs!)

Ms. Viswanathan’s novel is nicely written, even if the story seems a bit too pat, maybe even contrived and several times I found myself cringing at yet another description of her principal character, Chitra’s, perfect husband, marriage and life of wealth (from the emerald necklace her mother in law to be purchased for her for the wedding; to her seemingly effortless opening of a chain of organic restaurants in the US once she and her husband had settled here). Yet it took me back to the sounds, smells and sights of India’s streets and villages and shops and fashions and people… you might enjoy it too. It was an entertaining and quick read. If you do read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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