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Book Review: Dollar Bahu


Author: Sudha Murty
Publisher: Penguin Books
ISBN: 978-0-14310-376-9
Pages: 142

Dollar Bahu - The title says it all! A story with foreseeable twists and turns in an Indian household, when money, to be precise Dollar becomes an important part of their lives. 

 A predictable tale of the way money hampers warmth in relationships and wreck lives of people involved, if the sudden riches are not handled with maturity. 

Author does not elaborate on the characters, rather makes Dollar a hero and then a villain by the end of story. Indian American Dream of a lower middle class family living in Bangalore comes true when the eldest son travels to US for a company project. It is at this stage, Dollar enters in their lives and starts to change relationships only to turn sour. 

 The story revolves around how the eldest son of Gouramma, Chandu, manages to reach US, and through his passion, dedication and hard work creates a dream home in US for himself. Soon he becomes a favorite son as dollars sent by him pulls the family from rags to riches. 

 Vinuta, a simple girl from small town of Karnataka, marries Girish, second son of Gouramma, and moves into live with her new family. Living through the ways of her new life and adjusting to the tunes of her greedy mother-in-law, Vinuta is put to constant comparisons with Jamuna,Chandu's wife and the Dollar Bahu!

Blinded by the shine of Dollar, Gouramma and her daughter, Surabhi treats Vinuta in worst of ways during her pregnancy and send her off at her native place for the delivery. Vinuta takes all the nasty comments and insults quietly in her stride and removes herself from the scene. The unfair comparisons goes on till Gouramma gets the chance to visit US for delivery of Jamuna and closely witness the American way of life. 

 She learns that while Dollar can earn you easy life, a life full of liberation and privacy but at the same time loneliness and homelessness. She realizes that dollars cannot buy love and respect which she gets at her place in India. She wishes to go back to her home in Bangalore and Vinuta, but by the time she reaches home, it gets too late. 

 Its only the end of story which is less predictable and more practical. Characters in the story are simple and easy to judge. Author do not focus on their private lives, rather demonstrates the incidents and behaviors of family members as a whole and towards each other. Circumstances and reactions to incidents constitutes this story. By the end, it becomes a short collection of experiences of Indians living in America, narrating their good and bad experiences of living in land away from home. 

One can finish it in one go. All in all, it is a pleasant one time read. 
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