After the massive success that Lioness was in engaging all the right emotional and intellectual muscles, I decided the next book would obviously be the last one in the series of Kiwi cousin books. This one will be a longer review. 

There is no story you have ever heard like this one, and yet it feels like one you have been a part of before. 

The story is told by mother and daughter both individually and across two timelines. The mother in an older timeline, and in third person narrative while the daughter in the more recent timeline and in the first person narrative. 

An Indian family living in Australia having to come to Chennai when the Patriarch of the family is on his death bed. The story unravels slowly at the beginning. Initially I was regretting my decision to have not chosen a suspense thriller to read. But I kept with this and it rewarded me. A story of love; for one’s partner, one’s best friend, one’s children and one’s mother. 

It reminded me of my mother, her sacrifices and her values which have allowed me in many ways to be exactly who I am. The privilege of making a conscious decision to do what seems like the opposite of what most people my age around me choose (by choice or sadly pressure), the capitalist timeline of school > college > job>marriage> babies > (and sometimes babies with a job). Producing labour to make the wheels of capitalism turn. 

This book made me value my grandmas, love my mum a bit more and miss my sister. For someone who is always weary to stray too far from suspense thrillers, this book made the detour worth it.