Long gone are the days when one had to turn to Mills and Boon for their English-language romance fix in Bangladesh. Our homegrown and diasporic writers are stepping up with fun, quirky, imaginative, and often culturally nuanced romances. As we look ahead to wedding season, here are three books you must try.
The Thirty Before Thirty List by Tasneem Abdur Rashid
Meet shy, conservative Sylheti-Brit Maya, who is just beginning to face the wedding pressure from her parents, when one day she meets a charming and handsome young man called Noah on the Underground, and has what appears to be her first ever flirty conversation. Until he jumps off the train, accidentally leaving behind a notebook containing a list of thirty things he wants to do before he turns thirty.
Crushed by her aborted fantasies of a happily ever after, Maya challenges herself to work through the items on his list, secretly hoping that whilst climbing out of her rut, she may find Noah as well as herself. Instead, she meets Zakariya; an annoying suitor brought to her by her parents via a dodgy marriage CV.
This very halal read is as much about self-love and self-acceptance as it is about romantic love and marriage, and touches on themes such as interracial relationships, colourism and unfair gender roles within the South Asian community. If you enjoyed watching We are Lady Parts, you’ll love this.
The Thief Prince’s Wife by Noor Juman
Smart and beautiful accountant Payal Lohani has ticked off some bad Bratva people, and after a botched attempt on her life, her wealthy and influential father arranges her marriage to Oleksiy Karmazin, the son of the kingpin of a different Bratva family.
While having her hand forced by her circumstances is hard enough, her sizzling hot intended is also reluctant about the match because apparently he is in love with someone else. The two are cornered into the wedding and try to reach an agreement that allows them to maintain their lives together as individuals. Neither of them have accounted for the power of chemistry.
The book promises a standard mafia romance and delivers just that, with the plot twists, climaxes and denouement on point. You have your fake-marriage-turns-real scenario. You have your slow burn romance. You have some seriously spicy scenes. The author layers the pure fantasy with cultural nuances of an interracial marriage, underlining the inter-generational cultural nuances within immigrant communities. It’s like listening to a competent rendition of a beloved classic song.
The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim
Zahra Khan is what they (we’re not sure who, but let’s roll with it) call ‘Bangladeshi royalty’, living a commoner’s life in Paterson, New Jersey. While Zahra’s plans to spend summer working long hours at the tea shop Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses. Her Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a ‘good match’.
This ‘good match’ seems to be Harun Emon – wealthy, devastatingly handsome, and aloof. It’s a ‘nope’ at first sight, and besides, Zahra has a connection with Nayim Aktar, the new dishwasher at the tea shop, who just understands her. So, when Zahra finds out that Harun is just as uninterested in this match as she is, they decide to slowly sabotage their parents’ plans. And for once in Zahra’s life, she can have her roshomalai and eat it too: ‘dating’ Harun and keeping Amma happy while getting butterflies for Nayim. What could possibly go wrong? Right?
This is To All the Boys I’ve loved before meets Pride and Prejudice with a deliciously deshi twist.