Ended up just weeping at this. For the first few chapters of the book, a lot of my interest & love came from recognition — the adventures of seeking edible Indian food when going to a 'vellaikaaran' country, the karung guni man. Then the stories unfurled into stories about women; specifically, Tamil Brahmin women, and the stories they live with, the men & culture that shape their lives, and the women who build them. Even in not being in the same situations as them, I found so much of it deeply recognisable. And in a way I found that gutting? Not the good parts or the parts about love, but the parts that felt culling or restrictive or abrasive — because that means there are other women like me who have thought and seen these things about the women who came before them, like my grandmother's too-traditional response to periods, or the distant aunt in my family who was married off and never returned. Idk man. The granddaughter of the family managing to work out an arranged marriage with someone she loves felt healing, as did the other granddaughter canoodling with her girlfriend in front of the family during the wedding, lmao. <3 

Anyway. Feelings aside, I thought this worked on a technical level too. The "short story cycle" style works perfectly, with little connecting threads of people you know and want to know more about. I loved that Ram wrote about traditions and cultures and snuck in Tamil words (& even sidenotes about accents) without spelling shit out every step of the way for people who wouldn't understand. And I loved that her approach to even big, "dramatic" moments that made my heart ache never tipped into feeling melodramatic or weepy, just matter-of-fact. It's lovely, efficient writing. I found it deeply moving.