Riva Razdan's Debut Novel Arzu is a Fresh take on Romantic-feminist Fiction
Mumbai, Maharashtra: Riva Razdan launches her debut novel ‘Arzu’ today, a witty, heart-warming story about a spunky young heiress finding her feet after heartbreak. The insightful, enjoyable read is published by Hachette India and is perfectly timed for presentation just before Valentine’s Day. Complete with dreamy marriage proposals, finishing school catfights, sound economic theory, bossy aunts and a courageous heroine who decides to swim against the tide, the book is delightfully written with great attention to detail, describing perfectly the nuances of Indian society in the early 1990s when economic liberalization unfolded with dramatic flair.
About the Book: After being dumped by her long-time boyfriend for a girl from a family with the ‘correct’ values, a heartbroken Arzu escapes to New York with her haughty aunt Parul, who is determined to find a suitable match for her niece. But little does Parul Bua know that Arzu is using her newfound independence in New York not to hook a rich bachelor, but to secretly study. Away from the eyes of Bombay society, Arzu becomes her own woman entirely skipping Finishing School to enrol in Columbia’s journalism programme, going on adventures with girls from the ‘wrong families’ and discovering her own capability as she fully understands the potential of 1991’s economic reforms for India. Filled with the fire of knowledge and confidence, Arzu soon finds herself on the brink of an idea that could change the nature of an entire industry back home.
Now, even as Arzu negotiates catty Finishing school fights and evades the charm of her many suitors in New York, she must prove her worth to her investors so as to silence her critics. The question remains: Can someone who has always played second fiddle to the men in her life discover how to become the heroine of her own story?
