The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi

The Mango Season

Amulya Malladi

This is the family reunion from hell. Bitching aunts, unmarried daughters, patriarchal men, sons scared of their parents, an arranged marriage to a suitable boy, enough mango chutney to sink a battleship, and a very unsuitable girl. And the coup de theatre at the end had me laughing out loud.

Extract
The gifts also cannot be bought and dispensed with without drama. Every gift will be analyzed. For example, I cannot give Ammamma a less expensive gift than the one I would give to Neelima. That would offend Ammamma because she was senior to Neelima. Similarly, I cannot buy Lata something more expensive than what I would get my mother. I also cannot buy something so cheap that Lata would be offended.
Parallels
  • A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy