Do the Right Thing

by Shyama Perera

Like Rama and Sita, the mythical lovers of Indian history, a young couple set themselves the ideals of fidelity, faith and family. But in modern times, lines drawn in sand are easily obliterated by the drip feed of stress and the wet patch of temptation. When the monsters of management consultancy rear their ugly heads, Chita fights to resist the demands of lust, money and loneliness. But her devilish US boss is utterly beguiling, and her husband Shyam is righteous and sulky in their Docklands loft. As time unfolds, they discover that demons can catch you unawares. And that knowing the rules doesn't always mean you do the right thing.

Genres: India

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2002

About the author

I'm a writer with three novels rereleased on Kindle - hurrah! - and I had a short play performed in 2012. I contribute short stories and essays to anthologies, and am delighted that from September 2014, I'll be running a literary criticism group in London for the Royal Literary Fund. If you're in the city and off on Monday mornings, join. It's free! You can find out more at www.tricyclereaders.com I pay the bills as a communications consultant, which is a really good way of using all the tricks one learns as a writer commercially - research, information sorting, narrative structure, networking and staying on message. I'm also embarking on a fifth novel (my mojo went AWOL in a fit of pique when publishers rejected the fourth) and hoping that I get this one past 30,000 words, which is always the tipping point for me.

Reviews

[Nakib Hoq]

Entertaining really. With the Hindu Scripture Ramayana as the backdrop, it is an enthralling story of devotion, love and respect. However there are major flaws in the writing, or at least I thought so.