Title: A House full of Men
Author: Parinda
Joshi
Publisher: Harpercollins India
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 360
Ratings: 4/5
A House full of Men by Parinda Joshi, begins with the scene, where our main protagonist, Kittu was flipping some travel magazines in her travel-themed office in the Hazratganj area of Lucknow and life changing quiz drew her in.
“A Church Mouse? What on earth is a Church Mouse?” This question stuck into her head. Although she resolved her query right then but it provoked her to put life into new frame. Actually, church mouse is an individual whose entire life is spent in one location.
In her late twenties, Kittu, short for Kritidhara Pant, has realized that she has left Lucknow only on two occasions, first trip for last rites of her maternal grandmother and the another trip to a wedding where she lost her mother, after her departure Kittu was left alone in the house full of men.
‘She had lost everything to that watched moment, the womb that had created and crafted her, the hand that had fed her soul, the heart that had comforted her with the warmth of a thousand blankets, All of a sudden life had become fleeting and vulnerable and meaningless.’
This book takes you deep inside the character’s journey and leaves you there with resonated emotions. Parinda Joshi’s A House full of Men is a dysfunctional family drama, more than that it explores many facets of human behavior, as love and misunderstandings, equality among siblings, bit melancholy, familiar loss and importance of being understood. When it comes to language, it brings breathtakingly fresh possibilities, I belong to a small town, I got introduced to a different set of people, especially their witty dialogues left me giggling out loud. I thoroughly enjoyed the tender moments of romance between Kittu and Kartik.
The second character which I adored is Kartik. He is moved from LA to Lucknow, how they met, how this bond been developed in such a short period, it was quite fun to read. There was something about Kartik that was enticing Kittu. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, whereas she is already in a messy relationship. Yet she was curious about Kartik, ‘If it was a bait? She’d almost fallen for it. He didn’t seem like a bait setting sorts though; she dismissed the cynical thought as soon as it took shape. He was a nice guy, and seemingly honest, and into her and that’s all that mattered.’
On the other side, her boyfriend, Vicky was a natural conversationalist and had a knack for turning every dull, drab non-event into a tangy spicy story. But there is another side of him; you get to know while exploring their world. It warms your heart and soul to read about their ticklish bond.
Adding to that, it also holds a serious backdrop story. Having had to share her mother with the twins so early on in her life had not been easy on Kittu. The boys were demanding and her mother had no quality time for Kittu for years. ‘Kittu had maintained her distance from the twins initially, the miserable feeling- misinterpretation as she realized much later- of being unwanted child leaving her resentful.’
I have not talked about other family members yet, her quirky twin brothers, Nishant and Shamik, High BP Dadaji, her Ravi-shing Dad, Four legged friend, Wodehousian thing in her room and of course, the charming neighbor. There are so many soulful characters and hilarious situations as well. I wish I could write more about the plot thing, to be honest, that would kill the charm of reading this gripping novel.
Parinda Joshi has a great command on human’s inner world and their complexities. Not a single character seemed heroic yet I found them powerful with their vulnerabilities. It is worth to spend time with a book, if you find clean sentences, clear perspectives, and a gripping story.
All in all, I loved comic timing in prose. I would gladly recommend it to anyone who, rooting for a delectable read.
About the Author
Parinda Joshi is a best-selling author and screenwriter. Born and raised in Ahmedabad, she now lives in San Francisco where she works for a fashion start-up. A House Full of Men is her 4th novel. Her last novel, Made in China, was adapted into a feature film. Her new screenplay, a social thriller, recently got commissioned by a leading production house.
Her M.O. is best described by Maya Angelou’s
quote: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do
so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
Instagram: @parindajoshi
Website: www.parindajoshi.com