5 Things I Loved About “The Windfall”

I requested The Windfall by Dikshu Basu a few months ago, because I’m not-so-secretly obsessed with books that are heavy on Indian culture. I had this book on my shelf for a while before I finally decided to read it. When I did, I quickly became enamored with it.

For the past thirty years, Mr. and Mrs. Jha’s lives have been defined by cramped spaces, cut corners, gossipy neighbors, and the small dramas of stolen yoga pants and stale marriages. They thought they’d settled comfortably into their golden years, pleased with their son’s acceptance into an American business school. But then Mr. Jha comes into an enormous and unexpected sum of money, and moves his wife from their housing complex in East Delhi to the super-rich side of town, where he becomes eager to fit in as a man of status: skinny ties, hired guards, shoe-polishing machines, and all.

The move sets off a chain of events that rock their neighbors, their marriage, and their son, who is struggling to keep a lid on his romantic dilemmas and slipping grades, and brings unintended consequences, ultimately forcing the Jha family to reckon with what really matters..

I received this book for free from Crown Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

the family bond, societal pressures, and Indian culture

5 Things I loved about The Windfall:

1. Its focus on Indian culture. This book’s plot is one that could only exist in India. The story revolves around a family who has become recently wealthy and is moving out of their middle-class neighborhood into a much higher class one. The things that happen as a result are both fascinating (as a reader who is not Indian) and hilarious.

2. The social interactions between friends and family. The relationships in this book are completely charming. While not all relationships are positive ones, I found myself invested in all the interactions that the characters had and loving every conversation that took place between them.

3. Its light-hearted nature. While this book does have some more serious subjects, on the whole it is a very light-hearted book. I felt buoyed up by the story, and never brought down to some sad or lonely place.

4. It’s funny! While this book touches on real subjects and real issues/stereotypes in India, it’s obviously somewhat tongue-in-cheek. You will find yourself giggling with every page turn.

5. It’s the perfect length. While I would have loved this book even if it had been triple the size, this 200-something page book is a quick read.

I completely loved this book and would recommend it anyone who enjoys Indian culture and/or warm-hearted reads about family. 

What’s the last light-hearted read you enjoyed?

A.S. Thornton

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.