Bad hair days, caffeine emergencies, soft spots for oreo cheesecakes, hot guys with delectable jaw lines or perfect hair, friends who are full of themselves until you help them fix their eff ups in life, nosey aunts who want to get you married ASAP… Sophie Says has it All, and more.
This novel revolves around the life of Sophia Thilagam, a 30-year old Tamil Christian with a perfect job, her own apartment and a bank balance which keeps her fridge stocked and helps her indulge in margarithas and frappes at posh places, when the occasion arises. And go on impulsive road trips when she feels like it. Not to mention, three types of hair-care products.
But things begin to fall apart when her totally balanced life (at least in her head) is interrupted by the Blah Blah Auntyhood who want to get her married to stear clear any hang ups before her cousin’s wedding AND she quits her Job because… well, better late than never.
To top it all, the Protagonist who is a very anti-twilight and anti One Night stand and anti Friends With Benefits person blogs her thoughts about Break Ups and how the Breaker and Breakee should handle it. With Cautionary tales and logical reasoning she’s solving the Urban Mystery behind handling 21st century break ups. Famously know as The Breakup Coach.
The author very aptly and colourfully describes the Retro side of Chennai… where in the Aunties with Malli Poo pinned to their hair and draped in gawdy orange, kancheepuram silk sarees rule the roost… where you smell the fragrance of idli-chutney instead of roses …and sip Filter Kaapi instead of Wine. The conservative side. The *cultural* slice.
And also the other Side which loves its sitcoms, has a cool life, sleepless nights, caffeine binges … sometimes over relationships or some other crazy issue. The sort which accepts baais hanging out in yeng girl’s apartments past midnight playing Hoobastank on the speakers, etc
Like Cary Edwards put it, at the Bangalore Chapter of the Book Launch, “Chennai has two types of people (idiots) … while we look at them and say ‘What are these idiots doing?’…they look at us and ask the same.”
Getting back to the plot.
Sophie thinks she’s got it all in place and she can manage it … shut the Aunties up until the Wedding is over and the Storm passes. But her evil hatchings (not so evil) get awry and her life gets all topsy turvy as her Position as The Breakup Coach begins dwindling as Love begins to stir up concoctions in her life!
To make it worse, the two people she trusts the most and call her friends are both stuck up in their own miseries and need Sophie to figure it Out. And her fake boyfriend (completely contrasting, naturewise) now begins to mean a little more than what she intended. And her yesteryear-if-someday fling re surfaces at *oppurtune* moment.
A Love Triangle. Confused Emotions. A status quo to maintain. A 31st birthday. And a Job-less situation. A deadline. Crazed out friends. Her own miserble heart. And her two minds- The Sensible and the Impulsive.
How all these elements come together and blend in with each other to make a really nice read…an un-putdownable book (if you love romantic comedy) is the real magic !
Arrividerci 🙂
{blinks} 