1 review for Soup for Lovers
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Soup for Lovers
by Anita Nair
Description:
Lena Abraham knows that love can end in only one way – disappointment. Her marriage to KK is perfect precisely because she is not in love with him, and their life on a tea plantation in the picturesque Anamalai hills is idyllic. Then, one rainy morning, a man arrives to take up temporary residence in the homestay they run. Shoola Pani is south Indian cinema’s heartthrob, an actor in flight from his own superstardom, and the last thing he is looking for is emotional entanglement. But when Lena and he meet, something flares between them that neither could have anticipated. She becomes his Lee and he her Ship, and the place they inhabit Arcadia. Told partly from the point of view of Komathi, whose own relationship with Lena is fraught with buried truths from the past, this searing tale of unexpected passion and adultery reaffirms the magical power of love in all our lives.
About The Author
Anita Nair (born 26 January 1966) is an Indian English-language writer.Nair’s second book was published by Penguin India, and was the first book by an Indian author to be published by Picador USA. A bestselling author of fiction and poetry, Nair’s novels The Better Man and Ladies Coupe have been translated into 21 languages. Among Nair’s early commercial works were pieces she penned in the late 90’s for The Bangalore Monthly magazine (now called “080” Magazine), published by Explocity in a column titled ‘The Economical Epicurean’.
Thereafter followed Nair’s novel The Better Man (2000) which also has been published in Europe and the United States. In 2002, appeared the collection of poems Malabar Mind, and in 2003 Where the Rain is Born – Writings about Kerala which she has edited. Anita Nair’s second novel Ladies Coupé from 2001, has turned out to be an even greater success than the first both among critics and readers in so far 15 countries outside India: from USA to Turkey, from Poland to Portugal.
In 2002, “Ladies Coupé” was elected as one of the five best in India. The novel is about women’s conditions in a male dominated society, told with great insight, solidarity and humour. Ladies Coupe (2001) was rated as one of 2002’s top five books of the year and was translated into more than twenty-five languages around the world.
Nair has also written The Puffin Book of Myths and Legends (2004), a children’s book on myths and legends. Nair has also edited Where the Rain is Born (2003). Nair’s writings about Kerala and her poetry has been included in The Poetry India Collection and a British Council Poetry Workshop Anthology. Her poems appeared in many prestigious poetry anthologies like The Dance of the Peacock: An Anthology of English Poetry from India, featuring 151 Indian English poets, edited by Vivekanand Jha and published by Hidden Brook Press.
Skryf Review
Alphabet Soup for Lovers is a simple tale – of how Lena Abraham finds love. But this tale is not just about Lena. It belongs as much to Komathi, the cook of Lena’s household, as to her. The tale is partly narrated by Komathi, and this is where the food metaphors and the “palatable” descriptions come from. The story’s poignancy, light-heartedness, philosophy and heart comes from Komathi’s narrative. In other parts, it is narrated in third person, where we get glimpses into the head and heart of both Lena and Shoola Pani. They are battling their own demons as their friendship fast-paces itself into a relationship that takes everyone by a storm.
The narrative is like the flow of a river. It is heart-rending without being melodramatic, plaintive without howling. Though I would have liked an ending to Komathi’s story just as Lena got hers, I have to admit this book plucked the chords of my heart like none other recently.