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Arranged Marriage: Stories

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Goodreads Author)

3.70 · rating details · 1,345 ratings · 121 reviews

Although Chitra Divakaruni's poetry has won praise and awards for many years, it is her "luminous, exquisitely crafted prose" (Ms.) that is quickly making her one of the brightest rising stars in the changing face of American literature. Arranged Marriage, her first collection of stories, spent five weeks on the San Francisco Chronicle bestseller list and garnered critical...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published September 15th 2009 by Anchor

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Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

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Jan 16, 2009

Brazil2009 rated it

Explanation of Rating: A captivating and emotional book of, at times funny, at times sad, but always profound. Composed of short stories, where no two are alike but together give an incredible sense of harmony and leaves every reader with a deep impression. With all these short stories Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni wants especially Indian women to be strong and conscious of the values each and every one of them has and wants to evoke the possibility of change, of starting anew.

Recommend...moreExplanation of Rating: A captivating and emotional book of, at times funny, at times sad, but always profound. Composed of short stories, where no two are alike but together give an incredible sense of harmony and leaves every reader with a deep impression. With all these short stories Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni wants especially Indian women to be strong and conscious of the values each and every one of them has and wants to evoke the possibility of change, of starting anew.

Recommendation: First of all, this book should be read by every Indian woman who has confronted or will confront the traditional obstacles in the life on an Indian woman. In this book they will find great encouragement not to give up and to hang in there. Some women will hopefully even be able to come out of this bad condition of life where stereotypes and boundaries still represent a huge barrier for the free development of their individuality. Next, the book should be read by all other women of different backgrounds, communities, and ages, who have similar barriers in life. Finally, I recommend this book for all the other people who can relate to issues such issues as racism, interracial relationships, economic disparity, abortion, and divorce because although not you are not necessarily being hit by the problems an Indian woman faces her whole life, it is very important not to be completely oblivious of how hard a life of an oppressed woman can be.

Summary: In "The Bats," a young girl struggles to understand both her abusive father and a mother who remains with him despite the pain he causes both of them. "Clothes" tells the story of Sumita, a young woman whose marriage to an Indian man in America has been arranged. She travels to the United States, and discovers a whole new way of life when her husband dies and she faces the decision of staying in America or going back to India to live with her in-laws. Another moving story in the book is "The Ultrasound," in which a young woman in India is forced to have an abortion because an ultrasound indicates that her first-born child will be a daughter. And again another story, “Doors,” the character Preeti, after moving to the United States, has come to love the western idea of privacy. She faces a dilemma when her husband’s cousin wants to come live with them. She wants to fight against her husband’s view of a traditional Indian wife.
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Sep 16, 2010

Rachel rated it

Divakaruni's first collection of short stories reveals the literary strength of a much more seasoned writer. This isn't to say that Divakaruni doesn't have her fair share of writing experience -- indeed, she is an accomplished poet and novelist, and has won numerous awards. But the short story genre is a different beast, and requires different techniques for a writer to truly succeed.

This collection of short stories focuses on (as the title suggests) arranged marriages, specifically...more

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Jul 24, 2011

Ronya rated it

So I'm really into short stories lately. And "foreign" authors. This book brought the two together...

I had already read the author's book "Sister of my Heart," and you could tell that it was heavily based on one of the stories (with just a few differences...which, honestly, was kind of annoying, since this was also the longest of the stories). I will say that, unlike Jhumpa Lahiri, Divakuni does not develop her characters very well...they all seem to look and act just lik...more

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Mar 08, 2009

CaterinaAnna rated it

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Shelves: bookcrossing

I enjoyed this collection of stories focusing on the experiences of women between America and India, even though in some ways it felt rather dated. This is because most of the 'Indian' women I know are second-generation and it is their mothers who might have had experiences similar to those described. Although set in this context, several of the stories could have worked equally well against another background: the Affair could have 'happened' in a marriage unequal by other means and Doors has t...more

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Jul 13, 2011

Helie rated it

I don't know what I expected going into this, but what I didn't expect was 11 rehashings of the same trope: Indian woman in a relationship with a man who doesn't understand her. I mean, I know it's titled "Arranged Marriage", but really? Let me give a few examples of what these stories entail. Woman fresh from India meets American-raised man and their relationship eventually falls apart. Vice-versa. Indian woman meets white man and their relationship eventually falls apart. Indian woma...more

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Sep 18, 2011

Pooja Dimba rated it

I don't think that "Arranged Marriage Stories" is the right title for this book. I think it should be called, "Indian Divorce Stories". Every one of the these (except the chapter Ultrasound and one other) ends up badly. The first chapter didn't even make sense, I frankly think it was pointless.
Divakurni makes it seem that arranged marriages are bad and that they never work... but sometimes they do.
Every person in my family, my aunts, uncles, parents, grandma,... e...more

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Jul 27, 2009

okyrhoe rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing, india

Very readable selection of stories, but overall I don't feel that they touched me in a lasting way.
I can't quite pinpoint what's lacking here, except by attempting a comparison between this collection and Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies." The subject matter is identical, and yet these two writers have different approaches. Divakaruni's writing is more literal, as if she is reciting stories to an audience. Lahiri's style is more cerebral, the stories are to be read for h...more

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Jan 08, 2012

Jyoti rated it

· review of another edition

After reading The Palace of Illusions last year, I was looking forward to read more of the the author's work. That is why when I spotted this book in the library I picked it up. The Book - Arranged Marriage is a collection of short stories centering around Indian women. In most of the stories the protagonist is a woman with Indian roots, settled in America and the story is about her tumultuous journey of life where she is trying to strike a balance between her deep rooted Indian beliefs and mode...moreAfter reading The Palace of Illusions last year, I was looking forward to read more of the the author's work. That is why when I spotted this book in the library I picked it up. The Book - Arranged Marriage is a collection of short stories centering around Indian women. In most of the stories the protagonist is a woman with Indian roots, settled in America and the story is about her tumultuous journey of life where she is trying to strike a balance between her deep rooted Indian beliefs and modern American outlook.

The book has a collection of 10 stories, each of the story is different from the other and yet has something in common. Most of them are sad, some disturbing yet profound. These are stories which will leave an indelible mark in your mind and will leave you pondering. I have only one qualm about the book, as to why the author has stressed more on the negatives of Arranged Marriages. Arranged Marriage is a practice prevalent hugely in India. It is often labeled as an orthodox practice and mostly people from the West find it very difficult to understand, as how such a system could work in first place! But, it HAS worked and I have seen living examples of it. So, I do not think it is fair to explore only the grim side of Arranged Marriages.

The author through her stories stresses on the importance of independence in life, of women in particular which I believe is important for every women irrespective of nationality. Even though it is written in Indian context, it stresses on problems which is common to women from all walks of life and so, I think 'Arranged Marriage' doesn't seem to be a very appropriate title.

Having said that, I must admit that I could relate to most stories be it 'The Bats' where the woman despite all odds remains faithful to his wife beater husband or 'The Ultrasound' where the woman is asked to abort her child since she is a baby girl or 'Affair' where a husband leaves her wife for another woman. I personally liked 'Meeting Mrinal' where the woman finally accepts her fate and decides to move on in life. Since the author lives in America, I believe that it must have influenced the author's own perspective and the way has brought out the sentiments of the women in the stories.

These poignant stories did move me and made me contemplate about various things in life which I take for granted, but, for many it is a dream.(less)

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Jul 21, 2011

Shipra rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: indian-authors, books-i-own

The book is easy to read and difficult to put down. The characters are real and face common struggles, yet they emerge hopeful and strong, which makes the stories a pleasure to read.

Arranged Marriage is a collection of 11 short stories based on marriage and relationships. ‘The Maid Servant’s Story’, though not exactly based on marriage, is my personal favorite. The story is about a woman who treats her maid servant with respect and dignity unlike her family members who ill-treat her...more

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Nov 05, 2010

Belinda Kroll rated it

Shelves: short-stories

This is a powerful testament to Divakaruni’s talent as a poet and prose writer. My theory is because she was a poet first and then turned to prose. You can tell how carefully she picks each word, how she puts them together to get just the effect she’s looking for.

Read this book for an example of how to organize your short stories/chapters in a way that is thoughtful and provocative and for heart-breakingly human characters. For those of you writing about Eastern culture, read this book...more

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Apr 24, 2011

Julia rated it

· review of another edition

"Arranged Marriage" is a set of short stories, each with an Indian woman at its heart. She struggles with what is expected of her; typically the struggle is against cultural expectations, whether they come from Indian culture or, more often, her own ideas about what she is "supposed" to do. Most of the women protagonists live in the U.S., but with strong cultural ties to India. The ambition of the author separates these stories from the typical " Indian chick lit"...more

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Jul 08, 2010

Kirin rated it

easy enough read, two doctor appointments this week and the book was finished, all are rather sad, the last two at least offer some strength and hope from the characters so they aren't as grim, but i was irked that one "short story" was the same as a chapter in sister of my Heart, i need to see if she just liked it better on its own or if it inspired the novel, but either way i thought it was odd she only bothered to change 2 of the 4 character's names. i don't know now if i'll read v...more

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Nov 08, 2011

Myrto rated it

· review of another edition

A book with all known traits of Divakruni's writing, «Arranged Marriage» gives us insight into the lives of a diverse range of characters. Sometimes heartwrenching, at others leaving the reader with a contented smile, these stories form a rawer material than those in «One Amazing Thing» and feel urgent and authentic. The underlying theme of coming to terms or breaking with tradition is what welds those disparate tales into a cohesive whole. The question of how to overcome centuries of oppression...more

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Sep 26, 2010

AJ rated it

Shelves: short-stories, fiction-realistic

Several vingettes centered around the concept of indian arranged marriages and how it affects multiple people in the immediate vicinity - friends, family, children, parents, etc. Divakaruni writes well and her style is one of simplicity and beauty - an easy read that you can't help but get swept up in the world she creates for you. I did find that some of the themes were repetitive and you can tell she draws from a lot of personal experiences as every story focused on a woman from calcutta. I...more

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Jan 30, 2009

Robin rated it

Shelves: ethnic-studies

While the short story writing is excellent, the take on the subject matter was just too depressing. I kept hoping that one of the marriages would evolve to something where the woman could be herself, and be respected and happy, since I have known this to happen with two "arranged" couples in real life. But no, the women are all trapped and controlled by others or by circumstances. Perhaps this is realistic in the author's experience, but it was too much of a downer for me. On the plus ...more

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Oct 18, 2009

Rene rated it

Shelves: novels

3+. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. It is a collection of short stories related to arranged marriages and relationships between families and in-laws. Chitra isa great writer and I will read more of her books. The message I get from many of these stories is a disconnect in the arranged marriages (although, I don't think this is just due to the arranged marriages necessarily), couples not getting to know each other, and spouses tending to look more for their own needs. In a numbe...more

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Jan 12, 2011

Janelle rated it

Shelves: 52-books-in-52-weeks

I love short stories and the stories in Chitra Divakaruni’s Arranged Marriage were perfect. They were short, but not too short and didn’t end too abruptly, leaving me wondering what happened.

I came across this book after I read another one of Divakaruni’s books, One Amazing Thing, a novel of connected short stories (I really liked this book also. I highly recommend!) while searching GoodReads for some of her other works I found Arranged Marriage.

Each story except for one wa...moreI love short stories and the stories in Chitra Divakaruni’s Arranged Marriage were perfect. They were short, but not too short and didn’t end too abruptly, leaving me wondering what happened.

I came across this book after I read another one of Divakaruni’s books, One Amazing Thing, a novel of connected short stories (I really liked this book also. I highly recommend!) while searching GoodReads for some of her other works I found Arranged Marriage.

Each story except for one was narrated by a female telling her experience with an arranged marriage. In “The Bats” the narrator is a young girl innocently observing her parents abusive, arranged marriage. In “Meeting Mrinal” the narrator tells of a reunion with a childhood friend. She compares her arranged marriage – which recently came to an end – to her friend’s life, which doesn’t include marriage, arranged or otherwise.

While I liked each story, my favorites were “Affair” and “The Disappearance.”

“Affair” tells the story of two strangely matched couples. The couples are friends and in each pair there is a vibrant, outgoing spouse and one that lives in their shadow. An affair in one marriage strangely impacts another.

In “The Disappearance” a man goes through the different emotions of being abandoned by his wife who was chosen for him. He goes from thinking she was abducted or harmed to realizing she left him and their son.

The stories not only shine a light on arranged marriages but also the experience of Indians making a life in America while preserving (or avoiding) their customs.

Divakaruni does an awesome job in making the personality of the different narrators shine through in each story. Each truly sounded like it was being told by a different person with a different experience. She has said the stories were influenced by her imagination and others’ experiences, which I find really interesting. These stories satisfied my curiosity in other people’s culture and customs. Not one story left me with unanswered questions or a strange, abrupt ending.
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Aug 01, 2008

ExistenGuy rated it

Recommends it for: Western Audiences Seeking a Stereotypical View of Indian Marriages

Shelves: fiction

Another derivative piece of literature from another unoriginal South Asian (female) author. Frankly, I wasn't really surprised by the unoriginality of the writing and the stories. You can smell the plot from miles away. Mostly they are about the oh-so oppressed females, hailing from traditional Indian backgrounds, stuck/duped/coaxed/forced in loveless arranged marriages (because that's what good Indian women do, as Mrs. Divakaruni repeats incessantly).

And then the stereotypes pour i...more

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Apr 17, 2007

Noor rated it

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The words “arranged marriage” conjure images of brides with their faces covered, tyrannical husbands and oppressively large families. Chitra Banerjee-Divakaruni in her book, Arranged Marriage, portrays this entity within India or Indian Diaspora in a variety of manifestations that build and then destroy these stereotypes. Like Indian marriages the stories in this collection are tied on many levels. Throughout her book, Divakaruni weaves themes of family honor and woman in bad relationships.
...moreThe words “arranged marriage” conjure images of brides with their faces covered, tyrannical husbands and oppressively large families. Chitra Banerjee-Divakaruni in her book, Arranged Marriage, portrays this entity within India or Indian Diaspora in a variety of manifestations that build and then destroy these stereotypes. Like Indian marriages the stories in this collection are tied on many levels. Throughout her book, Divakaruni weaves themes of family honor and woman in bad relationships.
The collection starts with Bats; this story attempts to de-mystify the universal question of why women continue to live in bad marriages (or situations). The child narrator’s mother is a gullible woman who continually goes back to her abusive husband. In her own defense the mother blames, “…the stares and whispers of the women, down in the marketplace. The loneliness of being without him,”. The question, however, is left hanging when the story ends with an image of the narrator and her mother running away once more, wounded and frantic, to escape her abusive father. Similarly in Affair, Ashok mocked his wife, Abha’s beliefs and did not value her strengths. However, towards the end of the story she realizes that, “The old rules aren’t always right. Not here, not even in India,” (Divakaruni, 270). Bats helps the reader understand, early on, that the question this story grapples with has no simple answers. It also provides context for stories that follow, the reader understands the significance of a female protagonists fighting against cultural norms like Abha does in Affair.
Clothes fleshes out the theme that often the burden of family honor is placed on the females members of the family. This is exemplified through Mother and Father Sen’s expectation of their daughter in law Sumita. She is not allowed to go to her husband’s store, must dress in traditional attire and “like a good Indian wife” must never address her husband by his name (Divakaruni 25-26). These references imply that a woman’s inappropriate behavior will lead to her family losing face in society and give context to other stories where Divakaruni doesn’t explicitly mention this idea.
Divakaruni’s syntactical choices pull the reader into the world of her stories. Her trademark use of italicized Bengali expressions and folk songs is perfect; they create a context that stirs the memories of her South-Asian readers and yet doesn’t alienate a western audience. Divakaruni aptly captures her characters’ voices through her generous use of Indian English and Bengali expressions throughout this book.
Divakaruni’s stories leave her readers with more questions than answers. Through the use of simple prose she sets up complicated situations that force the reader to question his/her beliefs about arranged marriages and Indian women. The question of why Indian women continue to live in bad marriages is not completely answered by the end of the book. However, the reader has reached an understanding that this question cannot be written in clear strokes of black and white. It is a question that has fuzzy handwriting and the color of ash.
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Sep 20, 2011

Lubi Lafdewali rated it

This book was my introduction to Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, an author I have drawn immense inspiration from!

Apart from being a light read, what I immensely enjoyed was the quick flow of stories and the so-real characters that Chitra has created.

As soon as I finished reading this book, I had to get my hands on the rest of her work!

Chitra makes you hungry for more of her tempting and satisfying work! :)

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Jan 13, 2008

Jill rated it

Shelves: fiction, did-not-finish

I may have mistakingly picked up this book hoping for more of the kind of stories I found in Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies, which I admit was unfair. I was very disappointed in this collection of short stories not because I don't believe these are stories to be shared or because I don't respect the difficult choices the young women in those stories had to make. Ultimately, I put the book down because it lacked poety. What I mean is that it lacked turns of phrase that made me stop and r...more

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Apr 20, 2009

Sandy rated it

Shelves: poetry

STUNNING, BRUTAL POETRY

A group of short stories around the subject of arranged marriage. These stuners will leave you breathless. Sad, poignant, beautiful. Unforgettable. Haunting. I like this book as well as Divakaruni's poetry. Read this before Sister of my Heart. Divakaruni uses one of the short stories as the basis of Sister.

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Jul 23, 2011

Kathleen McRae rated it

A good Book and very well written. I really loved the characters and found them come alive off the page and felt very involved emotionally with each one.Womens lack of choices in many parts of the world still remains a big issue particularily in countries where they are restricted by deep seated traditional values enforced by their own sex

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Jan 10, 2009

Carly rated it

Chitra Divakaruni is an amazing author! Her stories focus on Indian women, usually having immigrated to America, and are very poignant. "Doors" was especially well-done and had great symbolism. I highly recommend this work. I read a novel of hers afterwards, and I look forward to reading more by her.

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Mar 23, 2010

Brenda rated it

I wanted to give it a 2.5 only because it was a book of short stories - I am not a big fan of short stories, but the topic of arranged marriages fascinates me so I had high expectations when I started this book. What I visualized and what I read did not match. I would love to try a novel by her and see how that goes.

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Dec 09, 2009

Sheila rated it

This book was sad but eye opening. This is a book of short stories, but the stories end up being just the right length. I recommend this book to everyone. I haven't read any of the other books written by this author, but I plan to. She has another book of short stories.

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Sep 05, 2009

Maggie rated it

This book of short stories is well done. Stories about women from India and their lives in America, either married or not. Some sad & some fun stories. I really enjoyed this collection, I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but these felt like complete stories, rather than those that leave you hanging. It was interesting to read about some of the struggles women have gone through either in India but mainly in the U.S. with their marriages.

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Aug 08, 2011

Tanvir Muntasim rated it

· review of another edition

While Divakaruni treads the same path as Jhumpa Lahiri, her stories tend to get a narrower focus as they invariably end up as a women's lib manifesto, which at times undermine the literary value of the story. However, these are very good and enjoyable.

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May 14, 2010

Miramira Endevall rated it

Okay, but kind of depressing. Seriously, I can't believe that *all* Indian women are suicidally depressed, or that *all* Indian men are soulless oppressors. The problem with this book is that there is simply no sense of hope whatsoever that any of these women will do anything other than live horribly and die miserable. Of course, this is my belief now, looking outward from a strong, loving, secure marriage. I know I would have felt completely different had I read it while still living with Abusi...more

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Aug 27, 2009

Kvyborny rated it

beautiful collection of stories - which among other accomplishments explores the range of different meanings of "arranged marriage" and different ways in which South Asian and Western approaches to relationships and family interact for the diaspora...

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About Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author and poet. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. Her works have been translated into 20 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew and Japanese.

She was born in India and lived there until 1976, at w...moreChitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author and poet. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. Her works have been translated into 20 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew and Japanese.

She was born in India and lived there until 1976, at which point she left Calcutta and came to the United States. She continued her education in the field of English by receiving a Master’s degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

To earn money for her education, she held many odd jobs, including babysitting, selling merchandise in an Indian boutique, slicing bread in a bakery, and washing instruments in a science lab. At Berkeley, she lived in the International House and worked in the dining hall. She briefly lived in Illinois, Ohio and Texas, but has spent most of her life in Northern California, which she often writes about.

Divakaruni currently teaches in the nationally ranked Creative Writing program at the Univ. of Houston. She serves on the Advisory board of Maitri in the San Francisco Bay Area and Daya in Houston. Both these are organizations that help South Asian or South Asian American women who find themselves in abusive or domestic violence situations. She is also on the board of Pratham, an organization that helps educate children (especially those living in urban slums) in India.

Divakaruni has judged several prestigious awards, such as the National Book Award and the PEN Faulkner Award.

Two of her books, The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart, have been made into movies by filmmakers Gurinder Chadha and Paul Berges (an English film) and Suhasini Mani Ratnam (a Tamil TV serial) respectively.

Divakaruni lives in Houston with her husband Murthy, her two sons Anand and Abhay (whose names she has used in her children’s novels) and Juno, the family dog.

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