The Printed Page

Title: The Sari Shop Widow
Author/website: Shobhan Bantwal
352 pages
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication date: September ’09
Genre: General fiction, romance
Would I recommend it: Yes
The Sari Shop Widow was the perfect book to curl up with this holiday weekend. It is the quintessential tale of love, loss and love again. I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover. Yes I’m a sucker for eye-catching covers. Also because it is a mix of American and Eastern Indian culture which I find very interesting and love reading about. And because I wanted to read a romance not a bodice ripper. Don’t get me wrong I love a good bodice ripper but not what I was in the mood for right now. Something to tug at my heartstrings was calling to me and I got that. I also appreciate the fact the Anjali is in her late 30s and Rishi in his early 40s. Both have suffered a tragic loss of family yet found ways to bring meaning back into their lives. They’ve each had life experiences that I could relate to and therefore made the story something I would enjoy. While Ms. Bantwal doesn’t break any new ground she entertained me with The Sari Shop Widow.

Pungent curry. . .sweet fried onions. . .incense. . .colorful beads. . .lush fabrics. Shobhan Bantwal’s compelling new novel is set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey’s Little India, where a young businesswoman rediscovers the magic of love and family. . .

Since becoming a widow at age twenty-seven, Anjali Kapadia has devoted herself to transforming her parents’ sari shop into a chic boutique, brimming with exquisite jewelry and clothing. Now, ten years later, it stands out like a proud maharani amid Edison’s bustling Little India. But when Anjali learns the shop is on the brink of bankruptcy, she feels her world unraveling. . .

To the rescue comes Anjali’s wealthy, dictatorial Uncle Jeevan and his business partner, Rishi Shah-a mysterious Londoner, complete with British accent, cool gray eyes, and skin so fair it makes it hard to believe he’s Indian. Rishi’s cool, foreign demeanor triggers distrust in Anjali and her mother. But for Anjali, he also stirs something else, a powerful attraction she hasn’t felt in a decade. And the feeling is mutual. . .

Love disappointed Anjali once before and she’s vowed to live without it-though Rishi is slowly melting her resolve and, as the shop regains its footing, gaining her trust. But when a secret from Rishi’s past is revealed, Anjali must turn to her family and her strong cultural upbringing to guide her in finding the truth. . .