The Rules of Arrangement

Book excerpt: Uzma Jalaluddin's Ayesha at Last meets Jane Igharo's Ties That Tether in this own voices comedy of manners set in Mumbai where modernity jostles with tradition. Zoya Sahni has a great education, a fulfilling job and a loving family (for the most part). But she is not the perfect Indian girl. She's overweight, spunky and dark-skinned in a world that prizes the slim, obedient and fair. At 26 she is hurtling toward her expiration date in Mumbai's arranged marriage super-mart, but when her auntie's matchmaking radar hones in on the Holy Grail of suitors--just as Zoya gets a dream job offer in New York City--the girl who once accepted her path as almost option-less must now make a choice of a lifetime. Big-hearted with piercing social commentary, The Rules of Arrangement tells a powerful, irresistibly charming and oh-so relatable tale of a progressive life that won't be hemmed in by outdated rules. But not without a few cultural casualties, and of course, an accidental love story along the way.