A Convenient Marriage

Chaya, who also feels lesser compared to her sister, and Gimhana, who attempts to rise up at the law firm where he works, have a lot in common: They come from traditional Sri Lankan families, they live in London, and they have white men in their lives that they fall in love with but cannot present to their families. So they get married instead. "A Convenient Marriage" is a novel that covers several topics, with a special focus on tradition, platonic love and mental health. Even though their marriage is not what Chaya and Gimhana envisioned for their lives, it gives both of them a lot of stability. While this seems to be more obvious for Gimhana, who has something to hide, it is also true for Chaya, whose bouts of depression are kept in check with someone to depend on. And that is the best things about the novel. Sure, Chaya and Gimhana both get their own love stories, but that does not mean that the time they share as a different kind of couple is meaningless. Jeevani Charika seems to put a little more focus on Chaya, while for obvious reasons Gimhana's story resonates more with me, but both are highly endearing, as are many other characters in their lives. Though on first glance this seems to be a novel mostly for people with South Asian connections, but its theme of finding one's own path amid the traditions one grew up in is quite universal.