The Cambridge Curry Club by Saumya Balsari: Goodreads Review

 While I agree with many of the reviews that the book is thin on plot, for me the characters came to life and the relationships were heart-felt and extremely human (I’m tempted to say menchlich!). I refer not just to the relationship between characters, but also those of characters to country (the local scene and distant, idealized India). The author delighted me with her original and colorful metaphors and wry, English humor. For example, in describing a Mr. Chatterjee, she writes,

“[He] surveyed his household with pride; everything was in its place, and all the clocks obeyed the same master, as did the weeds. He had perfected a daily regime that started with the head, not the heart. Every Saturday he vigorously massaged coconut oil into his receding hairline. The oil seeped into every corner of his being, smoothing away self-doubt and dandruff . . .”

This is not a thriller with lots of chase scenes and sex (well, there is a murder); but, like a a tasty curry, it should satisfy any reader who is willing to savor the spices, both individually and how they work together.