Robin’s Rave Reviews
Lies and Other Love Languages by Sonali Dev leads readers to ask thought-provoking questions: Is it ever okay to lie or keep a secret? Is withholding information a form of lying? What circumstances would it take to share a long-hidden truth? How far would a person go to make a loved one happy?
Lies and Other Love Languages is my first novel by Sonali Dev. It is a story of friendship, romantic love, grief, motherhood, and the expectations, influence and support of family. Told through multiple POVs of an American family of Indian descent, readers will get a peek inside Indian culture, customs, and family values as they deal with universal issues.
The story includes a lovable cast of supporting characters, but it revolves around three women: Vandy Guru, her daughter Mallika, and Vandy’s friend Rani Parekh. Starting in the present, Vandy is panicked because her daughter is missing. Vandy, an advice columnist and public speaker, is struggling with the grief of losing her husband, and now this! Mallika is a young adult trying to make a name for herself through her unique mix of traditional Indian and modern dance styles. Feeling dejected after an audition, she joins a genetic study. She wants to know why she doesn’t fit in with her accomplished family. The DNA results turn her world upside down. Her mother’s friend, Rani Parekh, may be the only one with the answers she seeks. Problem? The two friends haven’t spoken in many years.
The story takes readers from the United States to Mumbai, India and from the 1970s to today. I especially enjoyed learning the backstory of Vandy and Rani. As girls, they meet at age 12 when Rani has just arrived in the U.S. to live with her aunt after her mother’s death. She is eating French fries off the concrete in front of a fast-food restaurant when Vandy and her mother, also of Indian descent, recognize her need. Vandy’s family wrap Rani in love, treating her like family. The two girls become the best of friends, like sisters. Their friendship takes them into adulthood until something came between them 27 years ago.
Although avid readers will guess the conflict early on, the author takes us on an interesting journey through the past to show how the characters get to that point. It’s more about the journey than the secret.
Before reading Lies and Other Love Languages, be aware it has these possible triggers: infertility, pregnancy loss, infidelity, and loss of a spouse.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book. The opinions are my own.
Other Recommendations
Do you enjoy books about friendships that form in childhood and continue into adulthood? Then you may also like The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey. See my book review here.
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