Book 28

Every year on my birthday, I set myself several goals. One is that I must finish reading a certain number of books. This year my target is 34. Yes, I know, that isn’t a very large number, but I knew I’d be busy so I didn’t aim too high.
Book no. 28 this year is ‘How Opal Mehta got kissed, got wild and got a life’ by Kaavya Viswanathan. The synopsis goes “Opal Mehta wants to go to Harvard. And her parents will do anything to get her there!” Her parents have a seemingly foolproof plan for the purpose: HOWGIH aka How Opal Will Get Into Harvard. She goes for language classes, welding classes, does community work, gets straight As, does everything that can make her resume impressive. Ah, but she’s forgotten to be normal, and have fun. Luckily she has gone for an early admission interview, and the Dean of Admissions gives her some advice- he basically tells her to get a life. And so, the Mehtas come up with HOWGAL i.e. How Opal Will Get A Life. Her parents get involved, immersed actually, in current teenage pop-culture stuff. They buy her new clothes, her mum takes her for a makeover, and they even tell her to kiss a boy (!). It’s a little difficult, but Opal (and her parents) decides that like walking around in high heels and getting in with the ‘in-crowd’, it is necessary in order to get into Harvard. There are many ups, some depressing downs and many improbable happenings (like the Mehtas helping their daughter plan a house party- you know, one of those my-parents-are-away-so-lets-go-crazy things).
It ends happily enough, with Opal getting into Harvard (surprise!), getting the guy she likes-but-didn’t-start-out-liking, and just being so happy it’s almost unbelievable.
It was a funny book. I actually laughed out loud a couple of times! It’s a mix of Never Been Kissed, Mean Girls and a Sweet Valley book. Very teenybopper, very American. It’s interesting that she doesn’t really project her family as Indian Indians except for the one stereotyped aunty who wants to get her married off. The Mehtas seem quite open and accepting- rather Goan, actually.
There are a few truths in the novel like 1) girls have to choose between being smart and being pretty because it takes too much time to be pretty 2) you never get the guy you want and 3) however clichéd it might sound, always be yourself.
Sorry I revealed the plot, those of you who are interested in the book. My personal recommendation? Read it only if you want a laugh.