I read Sumeetha Manikandan’s The Perfect Groom at a stretch as it flows easily, carrying you along on the tide of Nithya’s story. The premise is simple, that of an arranged marriage and what happens when the perfect groom turns out to be not so perfect after all. This is something that happens only too often in the lives of many young girls in India and hence has a ring of authenticity. The characters and situations are familiar to us from our own lives ― the uncle who shows off to the world how charitable he is; the girl who worries that her sister will not get married if she gets a divorce; the mother-in-law who taunts her for being childless, without considering that her son could be at fault; and the plight of poor relatives who cringe and grovel in return for being provided food and shelter. Her uncle wants her to marry an orphan Vasu who will study for priesthood while she becomes a cook, an ‘ideal low class couple.’ But Vasu leaves the house after his twelfth standard and never returns. What has become of him? Will Nithya see him again? Nithya is not allowed to have a career but is married off to a software engineer in California, one who has several dark secrets that tear her life apart.

Vasu turns up in her life again in a new successful avatar when she is plumbing the depths of despair. She does not want to share her troubles with him, but things get heated up and she is forced to make a decision. Which way will she go in her quest for personal happiness? You’ll have to read the book to find out where these twists and turns lead Nithya and the reader.

The descriptions such as that of the harridan mother-in-law and of Nithya’s one-rupee coin eyes and parrot-like nose, and the pervasive humour light up the darker moments in the story. Nithya lives in the US, but is still at the mercy of the ‘inquisition squad’ in India. We wait in suspense to see if Nithya’s life can have a happy ending. And the resolution is neatly tied-up to satisfy us.

All in all, this is an engaging tale told honestly. A good read for lovers of romance.