If you’re looking for a light, breezy romance—or ‘chick lit’ read—this summer, you might enjoy bestselling author Shuchi Singh’s latest book Done with Love. The book is in continuation with her 2014 work Done with Men whose protagonist, a dramatic travel journalist named Kairavi Krishna (Kay), goes to Goa with her girlfriends to get away from her gloomy love life. There she runs into her ex-boyfriend painting the town red with his hot new girlfriend. Along the way, Kay meets the love of her life, the suave and handsome Dr Vivian D’Mello.
More excitement is yet to unfold in this next leg of Kay’s romantic adventure, in the form of an evil older sister, commitment fears, heartbreak and anger. When Kay goes to the Maldives to surprise Vivian on his birthday, she is in for a (not too pleasant) surprise herself. With the help of her friends and her own insightful “thought bubbles”, Kay finally manages for love to return in her life once again. Talking about the colourful cast of characters in her book, Shuchi says all of them are inspired by real people. “It only takes a random incident or conversation to spark a story idea—the rest is taken care of by imagination and a bit of exaggeration,” she explains.
Shuchi’s books revolve primarily around ideas of friendship, romance and the world of women. Her 2016 book I am Big. So What!? about a spirited plus-sized girl explored sensitive themes such as body-shaming and self-love. Shuchi says she has always been very vocal about issues affecting women as well as mental health. She thinks that while there is now thankfully a much more open discussion on these topics, there still exists a severe lack of information and awareness, and hence perspective on them. Her goal, in turn, is to weave these elements in the stories she tells, so that readers can see them in the right context and cultivate empathy. “I really hope to make a difference in this space through my writings and social media presence,” she says.
On being compared to the likes of Sophie Kinsella, Sally Thorne and Helen Fielding, she says they influence her writings in that she loves the fun element in their books and the fact that they can talk about serious issues without being preachy or boring. When in a more serious mode, however, Shuchi draws inspiration from authors such as Franz Kafka and Elif Shafak. During the nationwide lockdown, she says the two books on her bedside table were Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupe and The Silent
Patient by Alex Michaelides. Shuchi is currently working on her next book which deals with an unusual and complex relationship between two women. While, like all her previous novels, this too is a women-centric story with mental illness as its central theme, she warns in advance that this one will not be a light read.
Shuchi’s books revolve primarily around ideas of friendship, romance and the world of women and her characters are inspired by real people