"Unmarriageable," by Soniah Kamal

Jane Austen’s popularity seems unending (and I am just fine with that!). The tributes include -- along with films, associations, conferences, scholarly articles, merchandise, etc. -- spin-offs, sequels, prequels, and twists on Austen's six completed novels. Some of these are awful, but some of them are quite literary and/or just plain fun to read. A new “tribute” novel is “Unmarriageable” (Ballantine, 2019), by Soniah Kamal. This is a retelling, more or less, of “Pride and Prejudice,” but set in India in the year 2019. It is cleverly done and quite funny. The same gently mocking tone that Austen sometimes employs is found in this novel too. But a serious issue is also addressed. The book focuses on the same situation Austen focuses on: the need for women to get married to survive, as they (especially if they were/are from middle or upper class families) are not raised to, or allowed to, work for money. Although this situation is changing, there is still some of this attitude in India. Besides the economic factor, there is also a societal expectation that a woman will of course want to marry and have children. The Binat family, similar to the Bennet family in the Austen novel, consists of parents and five daughters. (Many of the names in “Unmarriageable” are Indian versions of those in “Pride and Prejudice.”) The two oldest daughters are teachers, a respectable job, but they are understood by their families and others to be teaching only until they marry. Part of the fun of the novel is the small twists on the original story, adapting to current times and to the Indian context. This novel is a charming, funny, and enjoyable tribute to Austen’s best-known and best-loved novel. (P.S. For Austen "followers" in the U.S., consider watching PBS Masterpiece's new presentation of "Sanditon," one of Austen's unfinished novels. The first episode airs tomorrow (Sunday, January 12, 2020).