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| Love, Stars, And All That
| | Kirin Narayan
| From the lively crossroads where two continents and several cultures meet comes this quixotic and charming romantic comedy. In her whimsical portrait of a young Indian woman, Kirin Narayan affectionately skewers the all-too-common quest for the perfect hero. Elinor Lipman renders high praise: "Gita in Berkeley has to be the most appealing cultural exchange since Dorothy returned from Oz." Gita, of late an overworked graduate student, finds the notion of dating as alien as the black-leather-with-metal-spikes daywear she sees out on Telegraph Avenue. The very word connotes the romances Gita's classmates used to read under the desks at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour back in Ooty. Besides, Gita's beloved Saroj Aunty's astro-numerologist has predicted that in Chaitra 2040 - otherwise known as March 1984 - Gita will meet her jori. Or, as they say in America, Mr. Right. Never mind that Westernized Gita can't even name the months after Chaitra; when her month of destiny arrives, intriguing males do appear at every turn. In fact, Gita can't help wishing that the stars had been just a bit more specific. This one has a girlfriend, that one's too blond, the one with the Guru turns out to be gay. But Gita continues to line her eyes with kajal and let her tresses of hair fall free from their customary braid - all to make it easier for her Prince to recognize his Princess. Love, Stars, and All That is the story of what happens when our endearing heroine thinks she's identified her March Man. Should she follow the Indian road sign that cautions Dashing Means Danger, or the one that assures Better Late Than Never? As Gita figures out the difference between a friendly pucker and a passionate kiss, shealso discovers that America needn't be just one big lonely place. And that no matter how loudly her relatives' refrain of "You want to grow old all by yourself?" may ring in her ears, she must not change any parts of herself in order to fit into someone else's life. Gita knows that
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