Accidentally Engaged

Sometimes books find us and remind us of what we have been missing. Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron is one of those books for me. In recent years I have been focused a lot on reading a variety of books and educating myself on a plethora of topics. Stories about immigration and identity (An I-Novel), parenthood (eg The Relatives) and life during the world wars (eg The Paris Library) are some of my favorites. But reading is not always about learning something new. Sometimes I need books that make me feel like home and this is one such book. Take a look at the synopsis below and then I will share my thoughts.

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Thoughts on Accidentally Engaged

Accidentally Engaged was the March pick for Canadian Book Enablers and I did not have to think twice to order this book when I learned about it. March was a rough month for us with me changing jobs, Clinton settling into a new routine when his parents sold their company, us finding a house and getting all the paperwork done for it… add in the time change and we are walking around with a ball of stress. I needed something light and comfy to curl up with at the end of the work day and I am so glad I had Accidentally Engaged.

Though Accidentally Engaged is set in Canada, it could easily be set in India or any place that has a close knit Indian community. Before I dive into the things that I loved about this book, I want to share a bullet point list of similarities. For those of you who have read this book, you’ll recall some of these scenes. For my lovely readers who haven’t picked this book yet, I hope you won’t commit these connections to memory, but you will remember I had a personal connection for many reasons.

• Like Nadim, I moved to Canada so it was neat to read about his assimilation into the Canadian society.
• My first dog’s name was Whiskey. Like Reena, I was not allowed dogs growing up. Whiskey was forever in my paternal grandma’s care.
• When I was informed that my position was being terminated last year, it happened over video call. Yes, it sucks. Honestly, I still haven’t gone back and picked up my stuff because I still work from home for the same organization, different department.

On Cultures and Upbringing

I love hearing stories about Indian parents and I absolutely love that religion doesn’t show up much in these conversations. Reena might be Muslim but her family and life story could be any Indian girl’s. It could easily have been mine if my parents had moved to Canada together. One of the most fascinating things this book taught me was how far Indians have travelled around the world. There are many Indians in South Africa and England and Canada too. And yet, in all these travels, the culture does not get lost. It stays, as does the language, the customs and rituals. They might adapt to the country which is home now, but they are all still there. Language and food go hand in hand in experiencing a culture. I can’t possibly translate what Indian food tastes like in English but when I taste it, I know what it is.

The family centric story of Accidentally Engaged gave me hope in a unique way. I am not a parent yet and Clinton and I come from very different upbringings. But as I read books about the Indian culture, I know those values are part of me and even if the faces surrounding my kids will not all look like me, I will be able to find a way to infuse some Indianness there. That is who I am and no matter how far away I may be from home, I still carry home with me.

On Food

This book is bound to make the reader hungry. A number of readers in the Canadian Book Enablers made their favorite breads for the book reel (check it out here). I am not much of a cook (I am all about shortcuts and saving time) so I ended up thinking about my favorite Indian food everytime I read in this book and finally ordered it on the weekend that I was finishing. It was so yummy and I got leftovers.

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Accidentally Engaged made me realize that I don’t think I appreciated home food when I was there. My grandma did not want me in the kitchen and repeating everyday recipes can end up feeling pretty boring. But now, when I have access to a much bigger taste platter and multiple cuisines – Chinese, American, Italian, Mediterranean, to name a few – I am starting to appreciate my home food more. Chicken manchurian, paneer dosa, dal makhani, naan, lachha paratha, shahi paneer, kadhai paneer, chola bhatura are some of my favorites – I am sorry if they feel like a tongue twister but they are delicious and worth it! I am going to try and make each of them once this year rather than ordering them in.

On Romance

For those of you who have been following me for some time, you know I don’t read much romance. I gravitate so much to heavier themes that light romance is a wonderful change between all that. I chuckled so much through this book, many times, reading the scenes aloud to Clinton. Reena’s relationship with her father reminded me a lot of me and my dad. There is a meme that Indian parents are bad at expressing to their kids that they are proud. I saw that with Reena’s dad and know it is the case with mine too. 

Arranged marriage is a common term in India. In recent years, more people have started to have love marriages but since adults are supposed to ideally get married by a certain age, arranging a match is something parents do. I loved how compatible Nadim and Reena were and that they hit it off from the start. Their chemistry was so sweet to read about and all the drama surrounding it was emotional and immersive. They bonded over food, which is such a huge part of Indian culture. Reena as a bread baker added a dimension to her as a Canadian and probably made her easy to relate to in many ways.

This book is Reena’s journey of coming out of the parents’ shadow and standing up on her own two feet. She is a strong and loving character with a supportive friend circle. The friendships in this book were another highlight for me. Another moment of nostalgia. I connected to Nadim’s loneliness of moving countries and being friendless for a little bit. Through Reena I saw what I could have had if I had grown up here from the very start.

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In Conversation with Farah Heron

When Canadian Book Enablers choose a book, they usually also host the author for an interview. I had the pleasure of meeting Farah Heron on a zoom call last week. This was a bigger group than our last read, Dark August. We started off with Farah telling us about the book – how it is a foodie book and she wanted to write a story with a lot more Indian culture than her last book. Baking bread is one of Farah’s hobbies just like Reena. We learned about some additions that were made to the story afterwards (such as craft beer). Farah also wrote out and tested a number of recipes during promotions. These will be available on her website in the coming days.

The group loved the book and we were curious if Farah would write another book with the same characters, maybe different protagonists. This led me to check out Farah’s other book, The Chai Factor, which I look forward to reading later this year.

One of the readers who is an avid reader of romances, closed and open doors, asked about this narrative choice. I loved Farah’s answer about balancing the religious tenets with the cultural ones.

There is so much thought that goes into writing a book, and while what might start off as a straightforward story, it develops in layers and with the help of numerous people including the editor, alpha and beta readers, family and many more.

This was a lovely chat and I enjoyed hearing how everyone experienced this book. It can be hard to pick a book about a different culture and ultimately, there is a lot to relate to regardless. We just have to be open minded to try. To connect with Farah, find her on Instagram, Twitter and her website. I highly recommend her recent reel showing Asian American and Pacific Islander authors’ works!

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If you are looking for a light read with some hilarious family conflicts and problems along with a solid craving for amazing food, read Accidentally Engaged. It has romance, humour, wit, controlling parents, family secrets, drama, lies, and did I mention bread?

** Accidentally Engaged is available in stores. Be sure to check your local library and recommend this book to the community. **
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle

I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post. If you are part of book clubs, tell me about them in the comments! Have you found some hidden gems in the genre of romance? Let me know – I am always looking for recommendations. 🙂

Cover image: Photo by Nadya Spetnitskaya on Unsplash