cover image Destination Wedding

Destination Wedding

Diksha Basu. Ballantine, $27 (320p) ISBN 978-0-525-57712-6

Basu (Windfall) takes a humorous look at an Indian American family’s trip to the subcontinent in this charming, soul-searching tale. Brooklynite Tina Das, bored with her job seeking content for a streaming network, flies to India with her friend Marianne, Tina’s divorced parents, and Tina’s mother’s boyfriend, David, for a wedding. Tina’s father has engaged the services of a matchmaker in India and is hoping to meet someone there, while Tina, having recently broken up with her boyfriend, is determined to find an Indian man to marry. While Tina’s parents try to enliven their lives with new loves, Tina picks up with Rocco Gallagher, an Englishman living in India whom she had briefly dated in London a year ago. While exploring a relationship with Rocco and the possibility of moving to India to be closer to him, Tina gains newfound enthusiasm for her job after she gets the idea for a documentary on Indian weddings, starring her cousin’s wedding planner. While the shifts in point of view between Tina, each of her parents, and Marianne can be confusing, Basu is a capable plotter and creates vibrant set pieces, such as the elaborate wedding. From Brooklyn to New Delhi, Basu never ceases to entertain. (June)