Hidden Husband by Shikha Kaul : A Review

BOOK TITLE: Hidden Husband
ISBN: 978-9384382070
AUTHOR: Shikha Kaul
GENRE: Fiction / Romance
NUMBER OF PAGES:
FORMAT: Paperback
SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK:
The author sent me a review copy. I thank her for it.

SUMMARY:

Aisha is trapped in her own secret which makes her life hell.

Her love for Raghav is true. But hailing from two very different cultures is the basis of their continued friction. Aisha is a Punjabi girl from Gurgaon and Raghav a Bihari from Ranchi. Raghav’s family will certainly not accept a girl from outside their community. And yet, he continues giving her false hopes through his efforts and promises.

And then they take a step which entangles her life further.

Will she manage to come out of this quandary or must she continue to live in her self-created web? Explore her journey that makes her realise the atrocities being committed on women in the Indian society and the tough decisions she must take, keeping her most loved ones oblivious to everything happening in her life.

REVIEW:

Note: This review is going to be longer than the usual, because the book warrants it on some level. The parts until ‘What could have been better?’ are the usual, but I have added some thoughts about the book later on.

Hidden Husband – strangely, a much deeper story than expected.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

The title promised a racy read on some level. Hidden husband sounds way too spicy and romantic, something forbidden and with butterflies in the stomach. The cover was also simple and did not reveal many details about the plot or the book. The font is easy to read and the paper quality of the paperback is good.

MY REVIEW

I have to admit before beginning this review that I read through the book more than once after writing a review initially. The book was different in many ways and I had to change what I had written more than once so that I would manage to convey everything I wanted to – without revealing spoilers.

Hidden Husband is the story of Aisha. She falls in love with Raghav, and ends up marrying him despite his family being against the marriage. She, a Punjabi, and he, a Bihari, end up marrying without everyone’s knowledge, and he becomes the hidden husband. Whether or not he becomes just ‘husband’ and loses his ‘hidden’ status forms the rest of the story.

While everyone who picks this book up will expect a ‘love – elope – marry against parents’ wishes – fight until the end and prove love / or be separated due to society’ sort of story line, the book is slightly different. The author has managed to get into the reader’s head in a casual manner. The story did not have much of an impact on me the first time I read it. I loved it as a good story, with nice writing and a unique story line.

It was while I was searching for a good dialogue to quote in the review that I began reading the book again, and realised that it was deeper than it seemed. So with many revisions in my review and of course, the better understanding, I must say, I am pretty impressed with what the author has written.

While I do not baselessly adore every part of the book and pretend that it was the best piece of literature, I could definitely say the book was a unique experience for me. I had expected a simple story, made complex by a hidden affair, which might or might not come into the open but the author pleasantly surprised me by her writing.

The language is good, but there are some words that seemed inserted, instead of naturally occurring in flow. I loved her style of writing and realistic characters. The book is a good read if you really prepare yourself to understand the depth instead of reading it as just another romance novel.

WHAT I LIKED:

• The depth of characters.
• The story line itself – for not being the cause of my disdain and proving to be yet another romance novel.
• The character of Sameer – I read that letter more than once, needless to say.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

• For such a book, the summary could have been better. It did little justice to the actual contents.
• There were one or two parts of the book that I felt were a little off the plot.

VERDICT:
Go for it with your mind open, prepare to read a novel without presumptions. You will love it!

RATING: 4/5

My Extra Thoughts as I read the book:

(Despite my best efforts, spoilers ahead. Please read at own risk)

• I appreciate the effort the author has put into writing about the ‘current events’ in correlation with the story. While some were used to offer an inside perspective to Aisha’s heart, they did seem like insertions. Some people might complain about the extra length for the rambling, but I am satisfied from a character point of view.
• The use of certain words, though making the vocabulary richer, seemed forced at times. For casual readers who have spent their lives so far believing that a particular word meant something, they will be rushing to a dictionary to make sure it was indeed, like they knew.
• The prologue caught me in the right place of interest with regard to the book. I loved the whole narration. This part was what actually intrigued me to read the rest of the story.
• Without revealing many spoilers, I am especially appreciative of the author for not making the whole hidden marriage like in one of those bollywood flicks where the people just go and sign some forms and get married.
• The legal formalities involved in actually solemnising the marriage and everything after that including providing residential addresses are explained in such a careful manner, integrated into the story line so that they do not seem cumbersome to read. For most people trying to ‘marry for love’ without thinking things through, this book is a must read.
• The author has managed to convey a lot about how difficult it is to actually marry after the ‘Oh so in love’ phase. While I am sure that was not her intention, the book nevertheless points out something many books before this haven’t done. Special kudos to the author for this.
• I loved the details about the SDM – sub divisional magistrate and the issues that lightly, indirectly analyse the amount of corruption in this country.
• The part about the seven vows of marriage (not known to many) and the way they each were upheld or violated was informative, and made an impact.
• The Nirbhaya incident creeping into the narrative was a different, unique touch and Aisha’s experience a few days after the horror remains to show just how uncaring we are as a society. And no, that sounds wrong, at least not in the sense I tried to convey. Aisha was not molested, no way. Read the book to know better J
• The decision to marry and give birth to children must be mutual, with goodwill and of course even if all these happen, the happiness and difficulties with responsibilities after that are what makes one’s life more interesting.
• I admired the author’s effort to not just make this a romance book but integrate the happenings in the society in a unobtrusive manner thereby not sounding preachy but still attaining the intended effect.
• I do not sympathise with the character of Raghav for obvious reasons, but on the other hand, I do understand his plight. Without revealing much from the story, I admired the way he was portrayed. Flawed, human, casual. Aisha, is not exactly the ‘love has made me blind’ character either. She demands answers and gets them, and in a way, makes me proud of her.
• I especially loved the ending. Though it was predictable in a way, I still loved the lines at the end. They will stay with me for some time to come, reminding me of how small the world actually is.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shikha Khanduja Kaul is an Indian author who was born in Amritsar, Punjab. Her family moved to Gurgaon in 1992 and she has seen the city grow from a small town to being the Millennium City of India. She completed her schooling from Gurgaon and later graduated with Honours in Physics from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (HR) from Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning.

A mother to a beautiful daughter and a wife to the handsomest husband, a daughter to loving parents and a daughter-in-law to the most caring parents-in-law, she works in the Staffing Industry and is passionate about penning her thoughts and creating stories out of thin air. She loves to dance and spend time with her little princess. In short, she can be described as a complete woman who ensures she goes to bed with a content smile every day; someone who manages her 24 hours, balancing both her personal and professional lives, perfectly.

She found her passion for writing not too long ago. Her debut fiction novel is a love-story with a touch of the realities prevailing in the Indian society that form the foundation of the biases against women for centuries. She hopes to come up with at least one novel every year for as many years as she can. With the plethora of ideas that the author in her is eager to offer, she wishes her readers ‘Happy Reading’.

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback, Kindle

PRICE: Rs. 185 for Paperback, Free on Kindle Unlimited

BOOK LINKS: http://www.amazon.in/Hidden-Husband-Shikha-Kaul/dp/9384382078