FICTION

The Vibrant Years

Mindy’s Book Studios. Dec. 2022. 316p. ISBN 9781662509261. $28.99. F
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Dev’s (The Emma Project) latest is full of love—for family and of the romantic variety. Beautiful Bindu is 65 and ready to chart her own course after years of being a good wife and mother. Alisha, 47, is living out the consequences of her divorce from Bindu’s son while pursuing her dream of being a TV anchor. Her twentysomething daughter Cullie is a brilliant tech entrepreneur who suffers from anxiety. The three women join forces when Cullie must create a new dating app in record time. Each commits to gathering data for the project by trialing existing dating apps. Silly and disastrous dates abound, from being forced to smell pet poop to being drafted into nude performance art. Meanwhile, ghostly journal entries by a long-dead lover of Bindu’s begin each chapter, and by the second half the book we learn the true identity of Cullie’s hot date from India. When Cullie’s chances at true love come into jeopardy, Bindu must confront painful memories she was previously able to conceal from her family.
VERDICT Dev explores themes of racialization, gender roles, and aging in a lighthearted way, with details on food and fashion sprinkled throughout. Recommended.
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