“Contentment is about cooperating with life, it’s about acceptance.”
Twinkle Khanna’s last book, Pyjamas are Forgiving, came out in 2018. Even though I may not have enjoyed it as much as The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, there is no denying she is a noteworthy author. I love her humour, and how she effortlessly wrings out the essence of a story with pearls of wisdom, infused with her sharp wit.
Welcome to Paradise is a collection of five short stories, each centred around women, that explores the depth of grief, loneliness, deception and heartbreak. Set in middle-class Bombay, these are poignant observations on the realities of life.
In The Man from the Garage, Huma is arranging her Amma’s funeral while the two sides of her family bicker over customs. Her daughter, Sara, notices the man from the garage has returned and, as she replays his history over the years with her mother and grandmother, she begins to understand why her grandmother put up with his erratic behaviour.
“Religion is like a tree — it doesn’t matter which one you choose to sleep under; they all provide shade.”
Let’s Pretend is Amita’s story of how she meets her husband’s acquaintance at a party in Leeds which reminds her of the life and times of her Bua. Middle-aged and lonely, Bua had made a friend in a chatroom, basing her online persona on Amita. Privy to her aunt’s secret online life, Amita started chatting with the man, Sumit, and continued the charade even after Bua’s death. When she finally meets him, she is unable to reveal her identity, or the truth about her aunt, to him.
My favourite story in the book, Nearly Departed is about Madhura, an 86-year-old retired schoolteacher who writes to the Chief Justice of India seeking legal approval for Euthanasia. Before the courts take up the matter, her appeal goes viral, with the media and NGOs chasing her for interviews. Madhura, however, is only concerned about holding on to her memories of her friend Pipi as she goes about life in wait.
Welcome To Paradise is the secret Garima has been hiding from her husband. After he cheated on her, she took a break from the relationship and stayed with her mother in Goa where she became attracted to a man running a shack. Having judged her mother for her frivolous relationships, Garima, too, seeks her freedom in paradise.
The last story and my other favourite, is Jelly Sweets. Nusrat, who has lost her child in a freak accident, is unable to deal with her grief. She loses her voice and, subsequently, her marriage, and returns to her maternal home where, after much persuasion, she starts sitting at her father’s sweet shop. Over shared sweets and stories with Fayyaz from the adjoining terrace, Nusrat finds her voice and purpose.
“Loss feels like the needle of a sewing machine — piercing through and lifting rhythmically; forgotten for a few moments, it slams down again.”
In each story, Khanna peels back the complex layers of her protagonists to show how thoughts and actions shape our decisions. Their stories explore human psychology, evoking strong emotions of helplessness and rage. As her nuanced characters walk a rugged path burdened by profound melancholy, there is also the joyful satisfaction of self-discovery.
Welcome to Paradise is unlike Khanna’s previous works. Where her style of humour has been the USP of her books, here she writes with a darker, grimmer tone and yet, adds balance with moments of hilarity in an otherwise mundane life.
I found myself deeply moved by the abruptness of each story and the ambiguous endings. They capture the myriad hues of life and offer a perspective that one may not imagine in the natural course.
Layered, thought-provoking narratives on hard-hitting matters, this is the author’s finest work till date, proving she is not just a celebrity writer but an accomplished author who deserves to be on your reading lists.
Welcome to Paradise by Twinkle Khanna. Published in November 2023 by Juggernaut Books. This review copy courtesy of the publisher.
Book 8 of 2024.
Aquamarine Flavours Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.
Available on Amazon*.
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