Only Wheat Not White
by
Varsha Dixit
MY
REVIEW
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this ebook
from the author (via Blog Tour hosted by The Book Club) in return for my honest
review. I never received any monetary compensation for the same.
Eila Sood is
the second Sood daughter from India. She goes to New York, USA to
work with OIS Solutions for six months. She plans to stay with her estranged
sister Sheela who’s married to an American. Sheela has two adorable sons –
Aryan and Adam. Incidentally, her husband’s name is Steve Jobs. That made me
smile.
The Sood
family had cut off ties with their eldest daughter since she had married a firang. Now you know why the title is
what it is.
Warning: Don’t read further if you
haven’t read the book. Spoilers galore!
Right from
the moment her plane lands in New York, Eila keeps bumping – most times
literally – into a blue-eyed ogre. Halfway into the book, we find out that he’s
Brett Wright. Despite her mother’s warning to choose “only wheat not white”,
Eila finds herself attracted to this restaurateur. Tough times ahead!
Life gets
more difficult when Sheela and Steve decide to go separate. Eila carries the
burden of the whole family on her slender shoulders, while Sheela wallows in
self-pity.
You have to
read the full book to find out if a happy ending is possible.
To begin
with, I fell in love with the gorgeous cover of Only Wheat Not White.
The story
follows Eila’s life along with her sister and her family. It brings to light
the lives of NRIs in the USA, especially over the past decade or so when the
work scenario has taken a nosedive.
Eila’s
character is strongly etched. She’s bold, hard-working and offers a lot of free
advice. More than that, it shows how we Indians don’t understand the meaning of
“minding our own business” and treat everyone’s problem as our own. She’s an endearing
soul and the author has brought that out beautifully in the pages she has
penned.
Sheela had
obviously started off as a career woman. She marries Steve despite her parents’
strong disapproval because she’s in love. But over the years, despite a loving
and helpful mother-in-law and two adorable kids; she falls apart due to her
guilt. She feels she has wronged her parents by marrying a firang.
Varsha Dixit
subtly brings forth the message about the pressure parents place on their
children. The Soods are okay with their daughters going abroad and earning in
dollars; living away from them. But they cannot accept an American for a
son-in-law.
Steve loves
his wife. But he’s unable to accept what she’s become. A realistic situation! I
liked the way he patiently waits for his wife to find herself. Lucky Sheela!
All the side
characters – Megan, Sandi, Murli, Randall, Cate, Mrs. Das, Judith, Mandy and
more – are all well-etched and play their roles to perfection.
I have saved
the best for the last – Brett Wright. He’s a hero to die for! A financial whiz
turned restaurateur. He surprises himself by falling for this woman who keeps
getting under his skin a little more every time they meet; and that’s quite
often. The love scenes between Brett and Eila – even the build-up – are truly
sizzling; making the reader drool. Kudos to the author!
Having said
all that, I do have a couple of peeves about the book. I had to cross at least forty
pages before I got absorbed into Eila’s story. Eila appears klutzy in the
beginning and the author has used too many incidents to underline this. One or two
instances would have sufficed to show the reader this. The book also could have
done with a few more rounds of proof-reading to make it read better.
There were a
few times I burst out laughing while reading the book. The humour is subtle but
very much there. Here are a couple of quotes that made me laugh:
Eila kept frowning at the idiotic smile
plastered on Megan’s face. Finally having had enough, Eila sent a message to
Megan on the interoffice channel. “Either lose the smile or lose M.” Megan
instantly let go of the smile.
“My sister mentioned you are a doctor.
What kind?” And ten minutes later Eila realized that was one question she
should not have asked. Sameer the neurosurgeon would not shut up. The more he
talked, the less Eila listened. Yet she willed her eyes not to stray a
millimeter off him. By now the ache had traveled from her cheeks to her neck
and the top of her shoulders. By the end of his monologue Eila’s perception of
Sameer had completely unraveled. His nose now appeared rather bulbous and his
lower lip appeared more bug-bite puffy than sensuous. After hearing him
describe what he does in such detail maybe I can actually perform a lumbar
puncture.
Verdict: I
would recommend this book to anyone who loves romances
The Blurb
What if the one you completely love is the one you simply can't! Twenty-six-year-old Eila Sood moves to America to mend fences with her estranged older sister, Sheela. Eila and the rest of the family in India had cut off ties with Sheela after she married Steve Jacobs, 'out of caste, and out of color'. Elia soon realizes that Sheela's marriage is on the rocks. To help pay Sheela's household bills, Eila takes a second job at an afternoon strip club. When she crosses paths with the owner, the handsome Brett Wright or 'blue-eyed ogre' as Elia calls him, he both infuriates and fascinates her. Brett turns out to be her reluctant and unquestionably sarcastic knight in shining armor. As Eila and Brett spend more time together their desire for each other builds. However, when Brett discovers the true reason for Eila's refusal he storms out of her life, accusing her of being a prejudiced coward. Will Eila find the courage to break stereotypes and embrace her love? Will Brett find solace in the arms of his ex-girlfriend Cate? Will Sheela and Steve divorce? All of these questions and more are answered in Varsha Dixit's latest and humorous and steamy love story.
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Meet the Author
I'm the author of four books and the genre that I write is contemporary romance. Penning stories defines and completes me.I thinks of myself as a borderline obsessive-compulsive dreamer who thinks deep but writes light. A true ‘feel good’ junkie seeking quick fixes, I love a good laugh and a good book. A voracious reader of who dunit mysteries and legal dramas, I did sit down to pen a book on serial killers but finding it impossible to maim or kill anyone, even on paper, I penned a romantic story instead. Thus, I found my true calling – at least for the time being.Even though creativity is gender free, I feel blessed and enriched to be a woman.
Currently, with my family, I'm settled in the US.
Currently, with my family, I'm settled in the US.
You can her @
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