''Second Thoughts'' is a
novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
by
Shobhaa De
Shobha De (''née'' Rajadhyaksha, formerly Kilachand; born 7 January 1948) is an Indian novelist and columnist. She is best known for her depiction of socialites and sex in her works of fiction, for which she has been referred to as the "Jackie ...
.
Synopsis
''Second Thoughts'' is a love story about Maya, a pretty girl who is eager to escape her dull, middle-class home in
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
for the glamour of
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
, where she moves after marriage to Ranjan, a handsome, ambitious man who has an American university degree and a wealthy family background.
Maya is determined to be the ideal wife, but finds herself trapped and stifled by the confines of her arranged marriage to a man who, she discovers, is rigidly conservative and completely indifferent to her desires. She begins to experience great loneliness in suburban Mumbai.
She strikes up a friendship with Nikhil, her charming, college-going neighbor, leading to love and betrayal.
References
{{reflist
Novels by Shobhaa De
Novels set in Mumbai
1996 Indian novels