An Autograph For Anjali #BookReview

An Autograph for Anjali is the latest book by Sundari Venkatraman. In The Book Club that I am a part of, Sundari has been called the Desi Mills and Boons queen. Having read some of her previous books too, I had a fair idea of what to expect. I also wanted to know if Sundari does something different with a romantic book this time round. So I signed up for the review.

Plot of An Autograph for Anjali

This book starts off with a murder! Now a romance book that starts like this is bound to attract interest. No? It starts off as the story about a murdered rich businessman, his stoic wife and a grieving son. Adding mystery to the whole affair is the presence of Parth who both mother and son depend upon but the rest of the family is curious about. Once the dynamic is established, the book takes you deeper into the lives of the three central characters before the murder. Most of the book deals with this period. The goodreads blurb of An Autograph for Anjali reads like this –

Jayant Mathur is found murdered in his bed, shot at point-blank range with his own revolver. Though she’s extremely disturbed by his death, Jayant’s wife Anjali is way more upset about something else. Who stands to gain by killing the multi-millionaire businessman?

Parth Bhardwaj is a friend and neighbour of the Mathurs. Parth is an author who goes by a pseudonym. He appears more than a friend to Anjali; while he’s also on good terms with her son Arjun who lives and studies in the UK. What role does he play in Anjali’s life? Jayant’s relatives are curious to know.

Jayant’s brother-in-law Rana is convinced that Parth and Anjali are the murderers. But Inspector Phadke has his own doubts about this theory. In comes Samrat, the private detective who appears as quiet as a mouse. Will he be able to find the murderer?

Will Anjali find happiness and peace?

 

An Autograph For Anjali – What I Liked

What I liked about An Autograph for Anjali is that this book is set extremely realistically. None of the characters are over the top. A bored housewife whose husband expects her to be available for his needs at his convenience, the rich businessman who thinks the world revolves around him and the author who falls for a woman he should not have. I can imagine there are plenty of characters like this around us. The book is set in Hiranandani Gardens in Powai and that is exactly the place people like this can be found. Anjali is intelligent but bored and has lost purpose in life. With her only son moving out of her home, she has begun to question her life and her relationships. In some sense the book is about coming of age for Anjali, albeit a decade too late! Throughout the book, Sundari stays true to the central theme of the story which is Anjali. Her feelings, her thoughts and her actions are elaborated in detail. However, it is not unidimensional. We do get glimpses into her husband Jayant’s mind and that helps us understand why he behaves like he does. The conflict felt by their son who loves both parents and knows his dad’s shortcomings comes out too. The language used in the book is conversational peppered with a few phrases that are poetic.

An Autograph For Anjali – What I Did Not Like

This book falls under the romantic fiction category and like all romantic fiction books, this book too follows a formula! While Sundari digresses from the young firebrand girl and brooding mysterious hero, we still see a damsel in distress rescued by a rich stranger who falls for her at first sight! Parth is too good to be true. My cynicism at work here I suppose… I had thought that this book will be different and will marry mystery and romance. You get that feel from the book blurb. Right? That does not happen. The mystery fades into insignificance as the back story takes precedence in the book. When the flashback ends, the story is wrapped up in a hurry. I would have liked it more if the mystery had been stretched out longer.

An Autograph For Anjali – Final Thoughts

I would say that An Autograph For Anjali is an out an out romantic fiction. The mystery angle adds a bit of intrigue initially but that is it. What makes it different and better than the usual romance books is that the characters are mature in age. You can find love after two decades of a listless marriage. You can find passion in a relationship even if you thought yourself incapable of that earlier. I liked that a lot. The book is fairly easy to read and to relate to. The characters, the dialogues, the setting is all well researched. The primary target for the book are women. You know that not only from the way the feelings and the dialogues are expressed but also the importance given to describing clothes and jewellery. Don’t we women love to read about that! I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light weekend read.

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Disclaimer – This is not a sponsored post and I was not compensated by the author or the publication for it. I was however sent the complimentary copy to read and review.  The link below is the Amazon associates link for this book and if you use it to order the book, I stand to make a small commission.