In “How Simi Got Her Groom Back,” author Sonali Dev uses a cute and clever title to draw us in and make this novel appear to be a delicious romcom. And it is a romcom, but like many wonderfully written novels in that genre, it’s so much more than “just” a romantic comedy. While we read about Simi and her sister Rupi, we are reading about their really tragic childhood, their sisterly bond, human trafficking, the difficulties of immigration, the perils of life in India, and the wonders of a loving family.
Simi immigrated from India to the United States and is in the process of getting her green card. She’s almost through all the hoops and requirements, and the doctors she works for as a pediatric nurse have been able to show that there are not enough pediatric nurses with her abilities, so she is needed here. One doctor, however, seems reluctant to sign off on the final documents, threatening Simi if she doesn’t quit her extra job. Simi nannies in her extra time for one of the other doctors’ family and their triplets. He married into a traditional Indian family, and Simi not only envies the closeness and loving relationships in that extended family, but she has fallen in love with Prem, the son.
They have kept their relationship secret, but Prem wants to get married. He also knows that will make getting Simi’s green card easier. But Simi is stubborn, and she doesn’t want their love sullied by using it to make the immigration process easier. Her sister Rupi shows up at the hospital where Simi works after escaping from a horrible situation, and bad turns into worse when Rupi, who hasn’t eaten in days, faints and ends up in the hospital.
Rupi and Simi had no family in India. Their mother was uncaring, negligent, and only interested in her latest boyfriend. Rupi is five years older than Simi and basically raised her, protected her, cared for her, and pushed her to get an education so she could have a better life. Rupi sacrificed everything for Simi. And when the situation in India grew perilous for Rupi, she desperately needed to escape. A seemingly lovely American couple had offered her a job in their California restaurant and promised to send her a plane ticket and arrange for her visa. Out of necessity, she accepted. But what she found out was that they had no intention of paying her, took away her passport, forcing her to work and live in squalid surroundings until she was finally able to escape.
When Rupi ends up in the hospital, and they are asking for her insurance information and identification, she doesn’t know what to do. Rupi has nothing to show. Her passport is still in the hands of her traffickers, and even her few belongings that she carried in a backpack had been stolen. So in perfect comedic form, she grabs Prem’s hand — her sister’s boyfriend’s hand — and claims that as soon as they are married, it will all be resolved.
Within minutes, thanks to the Indian dietician in the room who knows Prem’s family, the news of Prem’s engagement is out. Unfortunately, Prem is now engaged to Rupi instead of Simi, and that leads to a comedy of errors. The romcom part of the novel is perfectly executed. The romance is delightful. But the in-between part, the story line dealing with immigration and the trafficking of people, is also powerfully written and shines a light on that which is normally hidden under shabby carpets and behind the doors of neglected buildings. People. People who have come to America hoping for a better life. People who have come to our shining shores willing to do whatever it takes to build a new future. People who tragically are taken advantage of and turned into virtual slaves, without identification, without money, isolated from family and support, without a decent life.
Dev cleverly displays the ability to make us feel the terror that those who are in fear for their lives must endure, all placed smack dab in the middle of a love story and combined with the creation of two characters whose backbone, whose love for each other, whose determination to do the best they can, is what makes this novel memorable. At this point, I’ll admit that I cried at the end of the story. Twice. Even when I reread it while writing this review.
It (my tears) started when Prem is explaining to his mother why they had to hatch the plan for him to marry Simi’s sister. He’s defending the two women, and he tells his mother that she has spent months exclaiming how “loving and strong and generous they are.” He tells her, “You were absolutely right, they are, and no one gave them that. Their values and strength and love weren’t taught and modeled by a family like ours was. They’ve had nothing their whole lives that they didn’t create themselves. Not even love. All the things you’ve taught us about life, they are models of it and no one taught them. They just are.” Dev’s writing is incredibly touching.
This beautifully complex novel really has it all. It’s not just a love story (or two), but also an ode to family ties, to immigrants who make our country great, and to immigrants who deserve dignity, fairness, and justice. Dev told me that when she wrote this story, “I was deeply offended by the rhetoric of dehumanization around immigration and deportation.” With Rupi’s story, and Simi’s as well, she wanted to demonstrate what it’s like to walk in the shoes of someone in that situation. With new draconian measures that are being taken against immigrants, even those with green cards, this is a story that is not only thoughtful and timely, it’s one that is vital for today’s times.
This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.