Of spouses and friends
Reviewed by Aditi Garg


Grow Up Moon!
By Suditi Jindal. 
Snab Publications. 
Pages 279. Rs 250

marriage is a great transformer; you may desperately try to cling on to the shreds of normal life you had before marriage but it tests you, pushes you, makes you cry, makes you happy and changes your routine beyond recognition. Many a time, it gets very difficult for women to remain in touch with their friends, especially if they move out of town with their spouse. Making new friends can be quite a task. Lucky are those who discover a friend in whom they can confide and with whom they can grow.

Suditi Jindal has majored in economics and lives in Chandigarh. Having grown up in cantonments all over the country, she has a pulse on the lives and mental makeup of people from various walks of life. She loves to pen down stories inspired from experiences around her and also teaches young children the nuances of creative writing.

The story revolves around Moon, a woman who is desperately trying to make sense of the sudden change her life undertakes after marriage. What started out as a lovely friendship and blossomed into love starts to feel the strain of marriage and she is left to wonder if this indeed was the best life had in store for her. She finds her life and husband very different from how it was before. Loneliness coupled with the added responsibility of bringing up a child, push her into a shell that she does her best to remain in.

She meets Kiran, the child-like and talkative woman who is her antithesis and yet, in many ways, just like her. Even when she tries her best to avoid Kiran, the hints seem lost on her. Unwittingly, the two of them come close and a deep bond is forged. Both of them are deeply embroiled in their domestic issues and face the turmoil together. They help each other grow and find ways to enjoy life, which had stopped being fun. Their experiences together bring them closer still and each starts to depend on the other more than even their spouses.

Together, they find ways to satiate their urge to do something worthwhile with one taking up studies once more and the other finding an outlet in writing. From learning to drive to finding their own place under the sun, they develop different facets of their personality.

The book brings forth the complexity of relationships and at the same time revels in its lighter side. It shows how you find love and companionship where you least expect it and how it may even develop into a relationship you value above all else. Moon has been portrayed as the quintessential woman, who is working hard to adjust in her family and finding the love that seems lost. In her pursuit, she discovers truths that threaten to harm the people she cares most about and she has to make a decision that could have long-term repercussions. And at that moment, it means letting go of a relationship that threatens to cloud all else with its intensity.

A simple tale told in a very straightforward narrative, you are sure to identify with one of the characters. The book does not merely aim to impress, it just promises to give you great company and, of course, surprises you with the honesty with which it is written.

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