Award-winning author Sonali Dev writes Bollywood-style love stories that let her explore issues faced by women around the world while still indulging her faith in happily-ever-afters. Sonali lives in the Chicago suburbs with her very patient and often amused husband, two teens who demand both patience and humor, and the world's most perfect dog. You can find Sonali at sonalidev.com or @sonali.dev on Instagram. You can find more of my reviews of Sonali's works here.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that only in an overachieving Indian American family can a genius daughter be considered a black sheep. Dr. Trisha Raje is San Francisco's most acclaimed neurosurgeon. But that's not enough for the Rajes, her influential immigrant family, who have achieved power by making their own nonnegotiable rules:
- Never trust an outsider
- Never do anything to jeopardize your brother's political aspirations
- And never, ever defy your family
Sonali Dev opens up her acknowledgements stating that "Trisha and DJ's story is only loosely inspired by the themes that Ms. Austen explored so very deftly. There are no daughters to be married off here. Only imbalanced power dynamics and preconceived notions to be navigated." I think Ms. Dev is being a little too humble! Because there are a lot of parallels between her characters and story to Pride and Prejudice, and that only makes Trisha's and DJ's stories that much more rewarding and valuable. Unlike other retellings, Dev does not "assign" Trisha and DJ to one of the main characters—meaning, her female lead isn't entirely inspired by Elizabeth and her male lead isn't entirely inspired by Mr. Darcy. Instead, Trisha has elements of both characters, and so does DJ. While Trisha's character seems closer to Darcy's, her familial situation relates to Elizabeth's, and vice versa for DJ. And despite this blending of character inspirations, Dev is taking adequate time in developing and exploring the same themes of pride and prejudice within a modern world. Not falling into the typical retelling storytelling methods made this book all the more interesting, and made its characters all the more original and compelling.
Unlike in Pride and Prejudice, Sonali Dev gives both of her characters the stage by allowing both of them to have chapters dedicated to their points of view. While it could be said that this story is mostly Trisha's, giving both leads a chance to comment on their beliefs and grow in a way we can all see makes the ending earned. Especially in the beginning, when Trisha and DJ are first interacting, being able to see what each of them thinks about the other is crucial to our understanding of how they both could have gotten it all wrong! This is something we don't see in Pride and Prejudice that can make the ending of that classic a bit more difficult to digest. In her retelling, Dev gives agency to both of these characters by allowing them the freedom to criticize and judge the other, making the themes of pride and prejudice that much more apparent to the reader. It also allows us as readers to understand DJ's and Trisha's characters better; we can see and understand why they are both saying the things they are saying, while also understanding their reaction to the other. In the end, this makes the relationship between them that much more earned and rewarding, making the entire novel more satisfying that possibly the original classic!
Sonali Dev had more in mind than just Trisha's and DJ's stories when writing Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors. She was building a dynasty, a selection of stories within the same world, thinking way ahead to the other stories she knew she would tell. You can see the ways in which she is building for Ashna's story to come next, and Yash's after. Some readers might consider this a bad thing, but I would argue the opposite. Doing so prepares readers who want to dive into Dev's entire catalogue—we get background on Ashna and Yash early, getting readers invested in their stories before they even begin. It allows readers wanting to start a series to ease into the knowledge and background of the Raje dynasty and family history. This reminds me of the Jasmine Guillory books, in a sense, because while understanding the background knowledge of the other characters orbiting the story makes the entire novel more rewarding, that knowledge isn't entirely necessary to understanding the main characters' story. While it does make the second and third books in The Rajes series more rewarding and enjoyable having the background knowledge of the first and second books, it is not necessary in understanding the story—and I think these kinds of series are my favorite thus far.
In the end, I just loved this novel. Sonali Dev's love of the classic is apparent in the ways she clearly understands the function of all the elements of the classic and how she repurposes those elements to tell her very own, very unique story. Trisha and DJ were characters I found myself both relating to—unlike the original classic, where Mr. Darcy seems unapproachable. I also love how Dev doesn't just focus on the two main characters all the time—there are more characters that make the main characters who they are, and their stories and journeys are just as important if we want to understand how the main characters interact with the world around them. All in all, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors is just a masterpiece of a book—funny, big-hearted, critical, endearing, and rewarding all at once.
Luckily for us, the stories of the Rajes are only just beginning. For more of the Rajes and Sonali Dev, check out the next book in the series Recipe for Persuasion. Stay turned for my review!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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