Review of Secrets and Sins, by Jaishree Misra, Harper Collins

This was published in the New Indian Express (19 September 2010, Sunday) in the Readright Section.

Fractured marriage crossed with a star

Shubashree Desikan
First Published : 19 Sep 2010 09:20:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 17 Sep 2010 07:04:58 PM IST

Secrets and Sins by Jaishree Misra:
It is no mean feat to whip out a story of about a hundred thousand words that hangs together and holds the interest of the reader, but Jaishree Misra manages it. I picked up this book intrigued by the blurb which said that the book was the story of a prize-winning novelist, but there were other captivating elements too, apart from the main storyline.
Riva Walia, born of Indian parents but brought up a Britisher, is a successful novelist living in London. Riva and Ben are about to enter their 15th year of marriage, but all is not well at their home — Ben’s lack of success as an
author coupled with Riva’s fame are acting to ruin the carefully constructed relationship between them. Into this situation walks in the most dramatic character in the story — Bollywood actor Aman, a passionate old flame of Riva’s, whose suit Riva rejected to marry, as she had perceived then, the more reliable and worthy Ben. Riva is invited to be on the panel of judges for the BAFTA awards, which leads to a week in Cannes in the most romantic of settings with Aman, also on the jury. Aman is married, too, but it turns out that he has never really forgotten Riva either… how are they going to find their way out of this romantic maze?
Some aspects of the novel are very interesting. One is the way the main characters in the story are treated. Riva, from start to finish comes across consistently as the polite, well-behaved, always fair and intelligent, intellectual woman with a streak of fierce loyalty; Susan, her childhood friend and Aman are portrayed as more light-hearted; Kaaya, Riva’s sister, with whom she has a very complicated relationship, is also convincingly portrayed — in Riva’s eyes a spoilt, selfish brat, used to taking what she wants with never a care for others — and is perhaps the most interesting character in the story.
The other part of the novel that is well-crafted is Kaaya and Riva’s relationship. The rivalry between the sisters, verging on malice, is dominant, until the later portions where each of them gets to understand themselves and the other better and is a very strong thread in the novel, perhaps more touching than the main storyline. The third interesting aspect is that the story is about Riva and her sister who, despite their Indian origins, have totally merged into their London homes.
There are some gaps: the writer could have paid more attention to the dialogues. One feels this especially in the scenes involving Ben and his father. Though Ben is an important character, the author does not reveal much about him. She could have paid more attention to this. But perhaps it was intentional, as the main conflict in the novel is the tackling of extramarital relationships and not the situation that may have led to them.
It would also have been better to add something to give the novel more substance, since it is an emotional drama that the writer has attempted. For example, more real references to London life, Bollywood and much more detail about Riva’s work in literature (as she is supposed to have won the Orange prize) could have worked magic.