HYDERABAD: Amrinder Bajaj’s ‘For the Love of A Man’ is passionate and unapologetic. It traces the journey of a doctor looking for love and acceptance in a society where a woman’s life decisions are made by others. Rosy is from a traditional Sikh family. Through her Armyman father’s frequent postings all over India, she has a beautiful childhood living in houses with gardens, and new neighbors.
She is also made aware of her place in society as a woman, and the things she cannot change despite being a doctor. She is eventually married off to a man of her parent’s choice when she is in love with another. When she asks her husband to rub her numb feet after a cold day in Gulmarg, the husband says: “How dare you ask me, your pati parmeshwar to touch your feet?”
Throughout her marriage, her in-laws and husband do not miss any opportunity to remind her of her inferior status in the family despite her earning for her family braving several odds. The husband even goes on to lose huge amounts of money after falling for a fake income racket.
After two children and seeing her husband fail in almost every criterion of a good husband, she seeks love from an attractive but tempestuous man. Raju spoils her with his passion and gifts, and even leaves his wife to be with her, but is possessive and reckless. The book will impress and stun you with its honesty.
Since it’s autobiographical fiction, it must have taken the writer a lot of guts to write it. A woman who follows her heart and seeks to find her worth is severely judged in society even now. In this book, you will not only relate to Rosy’s struggles but also marvel at her courage to face the numerous financial and emotional challenges.
Though the twists and turns of Rosy’s life will keep you hooked, as a reader, I felt that the book needed a slower pace. While reading the book, you feel that you are hearing the story from a very voluble person who is not halting at the correct spots to give you a deeper perspective of the situation. The book records everything but does not pause to engage with the reader. A few portions of the book are written rather colloquially and a few readers might find that odd. On a whole, the book is quite readable because of the protagonist’s sheer guts but could have done better with some editing and re-imagining of certain scenes.
Publisher: Niyogi Books
Price: `395