Marriage of a Thousand Lies: Book Review (5/52)


Marriage of a Thousand Lies by S.J. Sindhu is a story that will resonate with any desi kid who’s ever felt like the black sheep. The main character of this story Lakshmi aka Lucky, is stuck in marriage of convenience with her husband Kris. A marriage that acts as a cover for the fact that they are both gay. In the beginning Lucky thinks she’s found the perfect solution for her complicated life situation. As a lesbian Sri Lankan American girl from a Tamil family, coming out isn’t an option, so she opts for a cover-up instead. 

Of course, secret lives aren’t always as uncomplicated as they seem, and Lucky is suddenly brought face to face with her first love Nisha. Old feelings are rekindled and both women struggle with the idea of telling their parents the truth and embracing each other, or living fake lives to keep their families happy.

Marriage of a Thousand Lies: Video Review


To be perfectly honest, there were a few parts of this novel that made me uncomfortable. I consider myself to be a person that respects everyone’s choice to love whoever they choose. But this is the first time I’ve read anything that falls into the category of gay and lesbian literature, and at times I felt awkward about the love making and romance. In fact, a few times I had to stop reading and check myself to make sure it wasn’t a bias, but rather just a disconnect from the subject matter that I was feeling.

In the end, I decided that although gay and lesbian literature may not be the genre I would gravitate towards from a personal interest perspective, Marriage of a Thousand Lies was a really good read. Except for this random archaic theme about Lucky’s sister and her arranged marriage (who are these family’s still having their daughters parade around in front of suitors with chai trays?!), I enjoyed the story and writing style.

One of the reasons that I read is to learn about different places, people, and life situations. S.J. Sindhu has written a piece of literature that is so needed in the desi community today. We need to stop treating sexual orientations other than ‘straight’ as an illness – something to be hidden, or worse, corrected. This book is a small step in normalizing life choices that are different than our parent’s generation may have made.

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My 2018 Reading Challenge: 52 Books by 52 South Asian Authors
This year I’m reading books from 52 authors within the diaspora and sharing a weekly review. You can find all my video reviews here, or blog review on the bookshelf page.

 

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5 Comments

  1. March 21, 2018 / 1:10 pm

    Liked your honest review of the book. That’s why books are a great tool to open your mind to new ideas. 🙂 Also, I’ve requested Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows from my library. So waiting for it. Are books from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni on your list? I’ve read some of her books – they are a light and breezy read.

    • March 22, 2018 / 7:36 am

      Thanks Shweta! I’m a huge fan of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – my favourite by her is Palace of Illusions. I do plan to read something by her in the challenge.

  2. March 21, 2018 / 1:29 pm

    Am intrigued and will check this book out!

  3. smitha
    March 21, 2018 / 6:14 pm

    I’ve loved following your 52 books challenge on instagram! This book review was written beautifully Raj!

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