Review: The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama

Synopsis:

Bored with retirement, Mr. Ali sets up a desk, puts up a sign, and waits for customers for his new matchmaking business. Some clients are a mystery. Some are a challenge. Mr. Ali's assistant, Aruna, finds it a learning experience. But without a dowry, Aruna has no expectation of a match for herself. Then again, as people go about planning their lives, sometimes fate is making other arrangements.

Pages: 304 pages (Paperback)
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Released: June 1, 2010

When I was at the library, I felt like this book jumped out at me. With it's brightly coloured cover and interesting synopsis, I thought that this would be a fun book to read. And it was.

I have a few Indian friends, so I've heard my fair share of the good, the bad, and everything in between about marriages that happen in their culture. Since this book deals with not only Muslim weddings but Hindu weddings as well, I felt like this would provide an interesting insight into the lives of Indians.

The book starts with Mr. Ali opening up a marriage bureau that soon becomes quite successful. Not only does he look for Muslim candidates, but Christian and Hindu as well. After taking down some information on them, he advertises it on their behalf and tries play match maker. Sometimes it works out in the end and sometimes it doesn't. Ultimately, what ever happens happens and he constantly tells his clients this.

With the success of his business, Mr. Ali needs help so his wife finds Aruna who seems to be a godsent for him. Together, they see the good, the bad, and everything in between when it comes to marriages in India.

What I liked best about this novel is how Farahad Zama shows us how different their culture is. He walks us through the caste system and the different marriage traditions that happen.

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Overall:

Even though this is a novel rich with information and it's fair share of drama, this is actually a quick and somewhat easy read. It's kind of like beach read, if that makes sense. Even though a bunch of stuff are thrown at you, everything works out in the end.

The beginning of the novel is the best part and I got through it quite quickly, but as the middle portion starts up I did find myself getting a little bored. The ending makes up for it, but this is a novel that shouldn't have taken me 3 days to read. I'm not quite sure what it was about the middle section, but it did feel like it was dragging on.

This is a good book though and if you want some insight on how Indians get married, then I think you might enjoy this.

3 stars