“Love is complicated, messy, glorious,” says author Parinda Joshi over phone from San Francisco. “Especially for youngsters today who are grappling with dating and relationships, trying to juggle reality and perceptions.”
It is not just romantic love that is complicated, all kinds are, especially in families. And despite a salacious-sounding title, Parinda’s latest book, A House Full of Men, is a drama about a dysfunctional family, with multiple romances woven in.
The mantle of running a home falls on the shoulders of Kritidhara, the 25-year-old protagonist, after the death of her mother. Her father, grandfather and twin brothers, each dealing with their own challenges, seem oblivious to her emotional plight.
“We often don’t give our loved ones enough credit. By assuming her family would not understand her, Kritidhara is guilty of making the same mistake.”
Set in Lucknow, House Full... (published by Harper Collins) is drawn from experiences most readers will identify with. However, Parinda treats topics such as second marriages, burdensome secrets, nosy neighbours and sibling rivalry, with a large dose of humour that makes her characters relatable, worth emulating even.
Throw in a know-it-all housemaid, a lingering ex, a temperamental pet, superstitions among the educated, and you could be reading about someone you know, maybe even yourself. Fans of chess, Wodehouse and pop culture will enjoy generous references sprinkled throughout the book.
“Each character is navigating their own way through some form of emotional turbulence. Though House Full... might not be voluminous, there is enough scope to flesh out the characters into an episodic series,” says the author whose book Made in China was made into a Bollywood film in 2019 and starred Rajkumar Rao, Mouni Roy and Boman Irani.
Talking about the age-old debate of book versus movie versions, Parinda believes an ‘as is’ adaptation is not always possible. “Subtext needs to be added for on-screen characters,” she says, adding actors bring depth to a character with their gestures, mannerisms, expressions and costumes.
“Against popular ‘author’ ethic, each of my books comes under different genres — the previous two were a dark comedy and a social thriller. I am always writing in the background,” says Parinda, who works in a fashion start-up.
An avid traveller and a humour junkie, Parinda, who toyed with the idea of becoming a stand-up comic, says it is easier to deliver a message, “wrapped in humour, rather than served straight up.”
“My fascination with words began in middle school and I had a penchant for exaggerating as a child. The colourful art of storytelling found its way through pen pals, blogs, articles and now, books.”
Priced at ₹399, the book is available online and in bookstores.
