The House That BJ Built

Details of the Book

Publisher        :           Westland

ISBN               :           9385152181 (ISBN13: 9789385152184)

No. of Pages   :           410 pages

Language        :           English

From the book blurb

I'll make my sisters squirm like well-salted earthworms. I won't sell. Even my jutti won’t sell. And if I die na, then even my ghost won't sell! The late Binodini Thakur had been very clear that she would never agree to sell her hissa in her Bauji's big old house on Hailey Road. And her daughter Bonu, is determined to honor her mother’s wishes.

But what to do about her four pushy aunts who are insisting she sell? One is bald and stingy, one is jobless and manless, one needs the money to 'save the nation' and one is stepmother to Bonu’s childhood crush, brilliant young Bollywood director Samar Vir Singh, who promised BJ upon his deathbed that he would get the house sold, divvy the money equally and end all the bickering within the family.

The first word baby Bonu ever spoke was 'Balls' and indeed, she is ballsy, bullshit-intolerant, brave and beautiful. But is she strong enough to weather emotional blackmail by the spade-full? Not to mention shady builders, wily politicians, spies, lies and the knee-buckling hotness of Samar’s intense eyes? Sharply observed and pulse-quickeningly romantic, this is Anuja Chauhan writing at her sparkling best!

Author

Anuja Chauhan went to school in Meerut, Delhi and Australia. She has worked in advertising for over fourteen years and has created many popular ad campaigns, including 'Nothing Official About it', 'Yeh Dil Maange More' and 'Oye Bubbly' for brand Pepsi. She worked in the advertising agency, JWT India, for over 17 years, eventually becoming vice-president and executive creative director, before resigning in 2010 to pursue a full-time literary career.

She has written 3 novels, The Zoya Factor (2008), Battle For Bittora (October 2010) and Those Pricey Thakur Girls (January 2013). All three books are romances.

Characters

Those Pricey Thakur girls:

Anjini still thinks that she is the prettiest among her five sisters…

Binodini is dead several years ago, yet lives in the heart of her daughter Bonu…

Chandralekha with shaved head, heading towards spiritual freedom is dirty mided…

Dabojini is content in her personal life with her handsome husband Dylan and two children, yet struggling financially in her professional life…

Eshwari is still single with big business plans and no job.

Samar, Anjini’s stepson and BJ’s eldest grandson is a Bollywood biggie with hot looks, creative brain and caring heart.

Bonita aka Bonu, orphaned at a tender age is independent, self-sufficient, trying to live in a way that would make her late parents proud… and nurturing the secret love for her step cousin Samar.

We also have chachiji who desperately wishes to impress her bed ridden husband…

AN aka chachaji, though sick to death, continues (tries) to charm women of his son’s age…

BJ is hit by Alzheimer’s and misses his late wife Mamataji...

Gulgul is caught between his righteous cousins, daughter-like Bonu and a dysfunctional family.

Satish Sridhar has shrewd business mind and dreams to fulfill his teenage fantasies.

What I think

The cover-page is vibrant depicting a charming girl with attitude. The book blurb is elaborate and gives away the plot rather interestingly. And, the title is just perfect!

As promised, the story is all about the house that BJ built and if those pricey Thakur girls sell the house or not. In spite of 410 pages, Anuja Chauhan startles the reader with several twists and turns. The narrative is lucid and incidents are quirky. Dialogs are relatable and characters have shades of grey – neither godly nor villainous. There is a splendid Bollywood movie-like charm about the book. It lets the reader envision not only the backdrop but the characters as well.

What I loved about the story is the sheer madness. It is everything a big fat Indian family would be. It also reemphasizes that blood is indeed thicker than water and at the end of the day, family matters! The hot and sizzling chemistry between Bonu and Samar is delicious. It would surely make you wish that you were Bonu (only if you are a woman reader, of course).

In short, Anuja Chauhan is back with another blockbuster book.

Should you read it?

Doubtlessly!

Indulge in the cacophony that happens in any signature Indian family J

Celebrate the madness and togetherness!!!

Don’t miss it, even if you have not read Those Pricey Thakur Girls.

Rating

4.5/5

Thank you

Thanks to Westland Publishers for giving away this book for review.

Being an ardent fan of Anuja Chauhan, I feel proud and elated.

PS: Anuja Chauhan, keep writing! J

PPS: Thanks to my cousin who introduced me to Anuja Chauhan several years before. Incidentally, I started reading Indian author books after reading Zoya Factor and Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone of course J J