A Dowryless Wedding is a sarcastic novel by South Indian author Merlin Franco. It unfolds the tale of an unfolding marriage between Franklin and Nisha, two Christians from two different sections. It begins with happiness and glee but tastes sour twists moving ahead. Franklin, a devout Comrade, fused and charged with the doctrines of Communism, is unable to hold on to the aspirations and naive concerns of Nisha, his wife. Their life becomes a lonely field of social joke at one point… why and how this happens? You will need to know in the course of your reading of this pleasantly written amusing novel with a hint of satire and bitter realism.

Well, that was the novel in short. Now, let me break some details about my personal experience with Merlin’s book. I hope the readers will make great use of my brief observations and it will help them decide whether this newly launched novel is suitable for their reading or not.

It has a simple narrative – the author has made the central character the narrator of the novel and so, you will get to know of all the events in the novel from the perspective of Franklin, the protagonist. Moreover, the words used in the novel aren’t that difficult or selected and that’s why it will prove to be a simple but interesting read for the casual readers as well. Talking about the plot, that’s moving in order… characters are revealed gradually and eventually their characteristics come out in open. The readers won’t feel that anything is hurled upon them which is not in a regular proportion or not synchronised with the readers.

A Dowryless Wedding is full of instances which make the readers laugh out loud or just smile out of pleasure. Statements like “Communists cannot be good husbands” and many others are there to make the readers feel amused and the author has succeeded as well! People who might have had a bad week in the office or a rough schedule throughout the regular days, this novel can offer them a few hours of pure fun if they read it with a free mind!

On another front, realism, the novel offers quite a bit – the novelist has opened up about the marriage problems and also the problem of dowry and, sarcastically, the problems if you deny the dowry… Franklin sees the hell-fire-chains after he refuses to accept dowry from Nisha’s family – he goes into debt. Should we accept it or not? Should there be a situation where the parents of girls do not have any pressure to offer dowry but they can offer whatever they want? There are many other important questions that this novel might ask you – depending on your method to interpret the messages in the novel.

Now, to conclude, the novel is a complete package of basic fiction and modern essentials that go on to make a book must-read and a worth-reading one. Merlin Franco, in spite of being a first-timer, has delivered his best, nearly. You can have a go this weekend… do read this novel…

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review by Amit for Indian Book Critics