Leave and Come Back is a complicated family drama featuring a young Indian woman who returns to her aunt’s home for a family wedding.

Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi

Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Family Drama, Indian Wedding, New Jersey

***This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links

My Summary:

Thanks #NetGalley @PamelaDormanBks @VikingBooks| Penguin for a complimentary eARC of #LeaveAndComeBack upon my request. All opinions are my own.

After losing her parents at a young age and living with her aunt for a time, Simran moves to Toronto because she feels like an outsider in her aunt’s home. Simran is feeling pressure from her aunt to attend a family wedding in New Jersey. They are an Indian family, and the wedding is a two-week event. Simran decides to attend the wedding without her boyfriend, Leo (who happens to be white). Leo unexpectedly turns up, and Simran and Leo pretend not to know each other because her aunt wouldn’t approve of a boyfriend who isn’t Indian. They hatch a plan where Leo will stay, but will he make himself indispensable to the family so that her aunt will love him. Bollywood-style shenanigans ensue. Will Simran find her place in this family? Will Leo win their hearts?

My Thoughts:

Culture

Books can be mirrors or windows. This is a window book for me because I am not Indian, so a two-week Indian wedding was fascinating as an outsider looking in! The author describes the festivities and food in brilliant and vivid detail. Readers who share the Indian culture will find a great deal to love and relate to as they experience this as a mirror book.

Family Dynamics

I love a complicated family drama, and this one feels authentic and realistic. Family expectations, wedding traditions, an outsider, and a hidden romance provide a page-turning reading experience. I could empathize with Simran’s situation and how she felt like an outsider. Despite challenging family dynamics, we observe a family who cares for each other and values their cultural heritage and relationships. Even though Simran and Leo are a couple and they are attending a wedding, this book is more family drama than romance. However, I can see how humorous circumstances earn it a romcom classification.

Interracial Relationship

Breaking with tradition and introducing a white guy to your Indian family presents a challenge. The author exploreds this with humor and sensitivity. It’s difficult to embrace your culture and heritage and also be open and accepting of different ideas from the younger generation.

Content Consideration: Grief (loss of parents in the past)

Recommending Leave and Come Back:

Fans of loving families and different cultural traditions will appreciate this heartfelt story. I love the thoughtful themes that were balanced with humor. I’m highly recommending Leave and Come Back for your summer TBR. Beach bag approved!

More Information Here

Meet the Author of Leave and Come Back, Lavanya Lakshmi

Lavanya Lakshminarayan is the award-winning author of Analog/ Virtual: And Other Simulations of Your Future, featured on Tor.com’s Best Books of 2021 list. She’s a Locus Award finalist and is the first science-fiction writer to win the Times of India AutHer Award and the Valley of Words Award, and has also been nominated for the BSFA Award.

Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, including Someone In Time, The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction (Vol. 2) and Apex Magazine’s International Futurists Special Issue. Her work has been translated into French, Italian, Spanish and German.

She’s occasionally a game designer, and has built worlds for Zynga Inc.’s FarmVille franchise, Mafia Wars, and other games. For more, follow her on Twitter: @lavanya_ln and Instagram: @lavanya.lnauthor photo and bio

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QOTD:

Do you love gently told and humorous family drama?

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