The Finance Minister of India is under the radar for committing fraud. To catch him red-handed, Seema Rawat, a young uncover spy in her 20s is sent from IB to work under the minister’s son Adhith in his cybersecurity firm.
Seema is feisty and intelligent who has frequent (hilarious) outbursts of the moody, quirky kind. Yet, she has her heart in the right place and her mind fixed on her mission: Adhith Verma. Her boss is rich and handsome with quite a reputation among women. Seema’s task is to get close to him romantically and wrench out confidential information. Initially, things go just as planned but right at the precipice of Seema’s success, enters Vikram.
Vikram Joshi is Adhith’s best friend. A hot-headed miser with very little experience with the fairer sex, he is quite a flawed contrast to his seemingly near-perfect buddy. But on the flipside, he is a genius ethical hacker and determined to protect his best friend. He detects intrusion into the company database, posing a major threat to Seema’s mission. And if this isn’t enough, Seema and Vikram are inexplicably drawn to each other, much to their own chagrin.
While Adhith’s reputation is at stake for his father, Vikram has his own baggage to deal with at home. Seema, too has her own past which is not as glorious as the men she has got stranded with. This past is known only to her drop-dead gorgeous aunt Madhu with whom she doesn’t seem to get along.
Sparks begin to fly, love blossoms at unlikely places and dark secrets unveil one by one. To find out what happens next, read One Monsoon in Mumbai by Anitha Perinchery.
The tone of the novel is that of a romcom: witty, sarcastic and humorous. However, One Monsoon in Mumbai is much more than that. Each character is there for a reason. Although romance and humour are the basic foundation, as the plot thickens, the story delves into the realm of social issues. Perinchery gives us a brief yet touching insight into the lives of the underprivileged.
The story has three main protagonists, Seema, Adhith and Vikram, but primarily it is Seema’s story. One thing, however, is common for them – they all have a purpose in life. They come with their share of shortcomings, emotional baggage and have the drive to achieve something. The author has deftly portrayed the complex expectation-laden parent-child equation that prevails in most families in India (or, perhaps, the whole of South Asia).
Another point worth noting is the language of the book. It is simply impeccable, packed with the right kind of wit. One can see the author’s flair in the opening sentence itself where she succinctly describes the Indian city of dreams:
Mumbai, a puzzle of a city, put together with jagged pieces of wildly fruitful dreams and shattered hopes. Here, some gambled for fame and fortune, some looted, some cut throats. They called it business.
One Monsoon in Mumbai is a perfect read for a lazy Sunday afternoon with a brewing cup of coffee. I am glad to have got the chance to beta-read this novel for Anitha Perinchery, and hope to read more books from her in the future.
Image Courtesy: Goodreads
Author’s Note: A shortened version of this review was posted on my Quora account here.