Madhulika Liddle, cross-genre writer, creator of the splendid gumshoe of Mughal times, Muzzafar Jang, as well as of the ongoing Delhi Quartet series, goes off on an unexpected but sweet tangent with this book, a romance set in the Uttarakhand foothills.
The romance is straightforward and without any sharp edges, and the personalities of the mature, self-assured protagonist Nandini Mathur, entrepreneur extraordinaire, and the slightly younger object of her affection, Vikas Joshi, are delineated so well that it takes a while for the reader to realise the physiognomic features of the two have been left to be filled in by them! After the requisite meet-cute with it’s share of awkwardness, the pace of the story as well as the pace of the courtship feels gentle. Love comes quickly, but not suddenly, to the two of them. There’s dollops of details about Vikas’ apricot orchard and Nandini’s pickle-making factory where, aided by a small band of local women, she experiments with amla, green apple, lime, and garlic while occasionally indulging in the luxury of making apricot jam for herself; the reader is, of course, privy to both the process, which is so dependent on the local weather, and the happy end result.
The little character sketches of some locals like Shalu, her husband Jagdish, her toddler Munnu, Madhav down at the orchard, Chanda and Sangeeta, Nandini’s father the ardent bird-watcher, Mr Mathur of Buransh Cottage, right down to the wholly absent Negi Sahib are interesting and amusing, when one realises just how adeptly a village can get together to do some subtle match-making.
The author’s descriptive style complements the tale beautifully. Sample this: “Wherever you looked, there was green. It is in a million shades. The deep, dense green of the deodhars; the glossy green of the rhododendrons; the two-toned green of the oak. The brighter, lighter greens of the shrubs and bushes and wild plants. Teal, jade, olive, mint, apple, pistachio, grass, lime. Shifting shades under the bright sunlight of the morning and the more muted light of the afternoon.”
The author’s descriptive style complements the tale beautifully. Sample this: “Wherever you looked, there was green. It is in a million shades. The deep, dense green of the deodhars; the glossy green of the rhododendrons; the two-toned green of the oak. The brighter, lighter greens of the shrubs and bushes and wild plants. Teal, jade, olive, mint, apple, pistachio, grass, lime. Shifting shades under the bright sunlight of the morning and the more muted light of the afternoon.”
A special shout-out to Radha Ramachandran and Maithili Doshi Aphale for the delectable cover illustration and cover design, respectively. If ever a book jacket softly but insistently said, pick me up, it has to be something like this. For the Love of Apricots is a light, easy, and enjoyable read.