Hussein Shobokshi It is not a small secret that Indian novelists have become a mega force to be taken very seriously in the literary world today. Great bestsellers such as “A Suitable Boy”, by Vikram Seth; “The Mistress of Spices”, by Chitra Banerjee; “Namesake” by Jumpa Lahiri; “The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy; “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai; “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga and the works of V. S. Naipal and Salman Rushdie to name some examples have all been simply a proof that Indian writers are a serious force in the literary world. A new novel is out with an interesting story line by an Indian writer. I take very good notice; such is the case with the delicious, delightful and wonderfully written new novel “65 West 55th Street”, by Gagan Suri. Mr. Suri, who is a professional banker, a job known to be cold and heartless, managed to deliver a warm, funny and a very readable personal tale indeed. The book, while simply meaning to tell an “impossible love story”, “a romance against all odds”, succeeds in bringing out a joyous celebration of life and its wonders. Its cute and cuddly humor is always welcomed, the culinary adventure it takes its reader to is pleasant to the palate. The selection of the bits and pieces of the Indo-Pak cultural aspects is an eye opener. This book is a celebration of life, it brings out to the reader a “masala” of goodies. East versus West, when cultures collide, this concept holds true when addressing the different backgrounds: the story takes place in the US and Canada with its heroes coming from India and Pakistan. The love birds in this case being Karan, a Hindu Indian who falls head over heels in love with Zaina, a Muslim Pakistani who is eagerly smitten by him. The human journey and the impossible romance goes through a mean roller coaster, severe highs and steep lows, full of tears, sighs and laughter with an enormous amount of food for thought. The book “65 West 55th Street”, which is titled after the exact location or intersection where the couple first met, begs to be turned into a major movie work by Bollywood and to be directed by the great Mira Nair, and screened later globally. I recommend that this book be read, and I have already given away tens of copies to my friends. Gagan and Sarah (his real life wife), thanks for a wonderful ride!
