The young-adult novel ''(Un)arranged Marriage'' is the first novel by English author
Bali Rai
Bali Rai (born 30 November 1971) is an English author of children's and young adult fiction.
Early life
Rai was born in Leicester in 1971, to Punjabi parents. At the age of eleven, he read '' The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole'' by Sue Townsend, ...
, published in 2001.
Plot summary
''(Un)arranged Marriage'' is the story of Manjit (nicknamed Manny), a teenage boy living in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
, England. His strict
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabis, Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a ...
parents are disappointed in Manny's poor behaviour and grades at school, so they decide to arrange a marriage between Manny and a girl from India, whom he does not know.
Manny's parents take him to India under the pretext of visiting family, but he later finds that they have returned to England without him. His Uncle Jag, who disagrees with arranged marriage, agrees to help him leave the country. When he gets back to England, his father beats him, telling him that he still expects him to go ahead with the marriage. Manny starts working in a local supermarket in order to save money towards his escape.
Manny and his friend, Adrian, devise a plan to trick his parents into thinking that he has changed his mind about the arranged marriage. They break up the wedding party in order to allow Manny to escape the marriage and be free from his parents, but he loses his family in the process.
Autobiographical elements
There are several parallels between the author, Bali Rai, and the protagonist of ''(Un)arranged Marriage'', Manny. Both are British-Punjabi Sikhs and grew up in the multicultural city of Leicester. Like Manny, Rai also worked in a supermarket.
Reception
The novel received generally positive reviews, with
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
's Kit Spring calling it an "absorbing and engaging first novel" and "highly readable".
Books for Keeps
''Books for Keeps'' is a British online magazine covering children's books.