Dollar Bahu - Sudha Murthy

When I sarted with the book, my reaction was like, "Aahh, this sounds so filmy". Half way through the book, I could guess exactly what is going to happen till the end. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what I felt about the book reviewed this time - DOLLAR BAHU by Sudha Murthy.

This is a book tailor made for a mega serial. Though this book was written a good 10 years back, i think there have been numerous movies on similar contexts even before this book was written. It is filled with cliché and every event/scene is easily guessable. None of the characters in this book have a happy story associated with them. Every character touches and twists your heart/brain/kidney/intestine with their sorrow.

This is the first book of Sudha Murthy which I have read. Before this, I had so much expectation from Mrs.Murthy going by all the fame surrounding her as a writer. It all crashed down at half way itself through the book. Any of u looking for something new to read, stay away from this book.

Content wise, the author keeps the narration simple. One can relate to events in the book as everyone would have come across at least one of the numerous situations in the book. Frequently, Sudha Murthy makes references to the different places / people and traditions of Karnataka which makes it interesting. The story is about the troubles faced by a poor daughter in law (DIL) from her Mother in LAW (MIL) due to frequent comparison with the other DIL who comes from Rich back ground. As all films show, MIL goes to stay with rich DIL and finally realizes that the poor DIL is a Goddess and the rich one is a devil. A little bit of romance, saas-bahu situations and loads of incidents to highlight that American life for Indians is bad and not worth it, is added to make the book interesting.

Though the background of USA, Dollars and dollar dreams might be a new thing 10 years back, it is just a back drop for the story which is age-old. Just like they say “old wine in new bottle”, Mrs.Murthy has taken the story often told in rupees, covered it with a dollar note and showcased it as a new story