Goddess for Hire

July 1, 2004
Following on the trail of popular books about India and Indian Americans, Singh gives us a bit of Americanized fluff with her debut novel. Thirty-year-old Maya Mehra of Newport Beach, CA, wears Manolo Blahniks and wouldn't be caught dead in a sari. While Maya's descriptions of her lifestyle and her traditional family (all doctors except her, of course) are quite humorous, her story takes a decidedly silly turn when Maya realizes that she's the incarnation of the Hindu goddess Kali-complete with superpowers and crime-fighting abilities. As Maya learns to use her powers, she must deal with the marriage her family is trying to arrange. Tahir travels from India to meet Maya, and although he's an arrogant jerk, he's also devastatingly sexy, and Maya has a difficult time staying away. In a time when Indian culture is hot, this is a fun page-turner full of current pop culture. But it's also a bit preposterous. Pass the samosas, but chase them with a cosmopolitan! For popular chick-lit collections.-Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

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