Polite Society

May 20, 2019
In a whimsical but flimsy novel that’s part Emma and part Crazy Rich Asians, Rao (The Smoke Is Rising) uses his keen eye for the absurd to depict the petty intrigues and scandals that occupy the top echelons of Indian society. Ania Khurana feels superior to everyone in Delhi, and has the social connections, money, and free time to prove it. After engineering her aunt’s marriage, she sets her sights on a brilliant society match for her friend Dimple. Unlike Jane Austen’s Emma, Ania doesn’t quite transform from a meddling, bored socialite to a girl with good intentions, so there is no sympathy when her schemes fall apart. This India is a glamorous playground for the uber-rich. The characters are all caricatures, including Ania’s weak and foolish father, Dileep; American ne’er-do-well Nikhil, whom Ania is attracted to; secretive Mr. Nayak, who manipulates other people’s fears for his own ends; and serene Kamya Singh-Kaul, with whom Ania has a fierce rivalry. This romp through Delhi leaves behind broken dreams and exposed secrets, but the characters are surprisingly resilient, or maybe just extremely foolish. Brief mentions of heat and traffic jams do little to evoke the setting, as the wealthy characters are mostly insulated from the city’s grit; the story feels like it could take place anywhere. Only Rao’s bitingly funny commentary saves this from being a clunker. Agent: David Forrer, InkWell Management.

June 15, 2019
The New Delhi edition of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous features a young heroine fashioned in the mold of Emma Woodhouse trying to swim free of the stifling fishbowl that is high-society India. Surrounded by Edward Ruscha screen prints in her bedroom in Dad's palatial mansion, Ania Khurana lacks for nothing. Until the writing muse strikes and Ania can finish her novel, the 25-year-old is perfectly content playing the role of matchmaker. Convinced that it was her arrangements that had her aunt successfully meet the man of her dreams, Ania next trains her sights on her friend Dimple. Trying to scrub her working-class roots clean, Dimple is Eliza Doolittle in Ania's able hands, as the young public relations professional is sculpted to fit seamlessly into Delhi high society. But not all goes swimmingly in this comedy of errors as couples meet--and consciously uncouple--for all the wrong reasons. Meanwhile, the patriarch, Dileep Khurana, wrestles with his own demons, and Ania's best matchmaking decisions frustratingly backfire. Rao's lighthearted American debut will doubtless invite comparisons to the hit Crazy Rich Asians, but they are mostly unwarranted. Yes, Kevin Kwan's Asians drip with swank, but all that excess serves a linear plot that chugs full steam ahead. Here, however, the characters seem too fascinated by the scenery, and after a few too many dangling plotlines, the reader might not care that Ania chooses to "supplement her tofu extract face-cleaning capsules with seaweed skin patches and an oxygenated mist in a sheathed canister couriered to her from a hilltop in New Zealand." The slack-jawed focus on the dazzle also misses an opportunity for more nuanced commentary about class instead of the cautious bites the novel delivers. Glitter might make for an appetizing amuse-bouche but it's not enough for a satisfying meal.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 9, 2019

Witty, clever, and wise, this version of Jane Austen's Emma provides insight into the lives of Delhi's superwealthy. Ania Khurana, the only daughter of an old-money family, dabbles in various creative endeavors but really is a social butterfly, attending art openings and fancy parties. She's been schooled in the ways of polite society and given opportunities to become more worldly, but cushioned by her family's status, she totally lacks an understanding of the motivations of the people around her. She takes up matchmaking for fun and sets up new friend Dimple with a suitable partner. Austen's sharp eye for hubris translates well to India's elite and those who live on its periphery. Readers will enjoy the detailed descriptions of opulent wealth and extravagant pleasures of the Khurana family, even as Ania is stunned into the realization that the heart makes its own way. VERDICT In his American debut (the author's award-winning The Smoke Is Rising and One Point Two Billion were previously released in the UK), Rao delivers a story deserving of the same popularity as Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians. A great choice for Austenites, fans of classic retellings, and general fiction. [See Prepub Alert, 2/4/19.]--Cheryl Bryan, Orleans, MA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2019
After Delhi heiress and aspiring novelist Ania Khurana introduces her maiden aunt to Colonel Suraj Singh Rathore, she sets her matchmaking sights on her friend Dimple, who has humble roots but would suit dashing journalist Fahim, despite the fact that Dimple prefers poor Ankit, and Ania's oldest friend, Dev, prefers she not meddle at all. Rao's Indian update of Emma owes more to Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians (2013) than to other 2019 Southeast-Asian Jane Austen adaptations like Soniah Kamal's Unmarriageable and Sonali Dev's Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors. Story lines swirl around Ania and her misadventures, from her archnemesis' connection to Dev to the lengths her father will go to look convincingly young, all set amid the dizzying gossip and clashes among the uber-rich in modern India. Ania's intentions aren't always pure, no matter what she thinks, and Rao strikes the right balance between likable and self-deceiving. Though keeping precise track of all of the threads may be difficult, the pace and breezy style, along with sometimes broad but always entertaining characters, will keep readers enchanted.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)