HYDERABAD: When Chennai and its surrounding areas were hit with floods in 2015, the collective heart of the country went out to it. Hundreds turned out to help the people in distress, showering them with the love that they needed the most at the time. With time, the city returned to normal, but the love stayed back. Author Lakshmy Ramanathan’s second novel, After the Storm, published in July 2018, takes this love, adds romance and the Chennai floods as a backdrop, and becomes a thoughtful and entertaining read in parts.
After the Storm is the story of Meenakshi Iyer, a 22-year-old girl from a Tamil Brahmin family in Chennai. She gets an exciting opportunity to work with The Daily Times, but in Mumbai. Meenakshi is relieved to be escaping the clutches of the sambhar mafia as she calls them – the set of people intent on getting her married to a man from a good Iyer family.
She lands in Mumbai, but not before rejecting a proposal from the son of her mother’s friend. Meenakshi learns the ropes of her job and everything hidden within it. But what will she do when her past and her present go up in arms against each other? Will she be able to weather any storm? Most importantly, will she be able to brave the monstrous floods that are threatening to take away her time?
The story gives insight into the inner workings of the Tamil Brahmin family, the slangs they use, the deviation between the typically orthodox, the moderate, and the liberal, the everyday Tamil traditions that many households follow, and the pangs of self-realization, especially when they happen to someone else. But more than anything, this story is about a girl just starting a job and trying to figure out how to do the right thing, both personally and professionally.
After the Storm is also the story of Meenakshi’s inner storms. She is someone who has crushes on guys, but when they come along, she tends to tighten up and withdraw into herself. She wonders about everything that seems to have dumped itself into her life at the same time. It seems pretty serious but it also results in a number of comic situations, starting from the time she fell into a stranger’s lap at a wedding after losing her footing. The comedy is only elevated, thanks to the vernacular that author Lakshmy Ramanathan has used in the narrative. It makes it look authentic, almost as if you’re talking to a person. And that makes it more enjoyable.
The only chink in the armour is that emotions seem uneven. While in some places you tend to love what’s going on, in others, it almost bores you. Almost. But not enough to stop you from loving the story.
If you’re looking for a book to make you laugh with its simple familiarity, this is the book you’re looking for.
Publisher: Harper Collins India Price: 250