thedailychannel.com — recommended books

Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee
by Meera Syal

This is simply a wonderful novel. The title drew me in – I had little interest in Anglo-Indian culture, but who wouldn’t be intrigued with a title like that? The three main characters are life-long friends: Chila, just married at the advanced age of 32, Sunita, a depressed former-activist-mother-of-two, and Tania, a gorgeous single documentary filmmaker.

Their shared background resonates against the striking differences in their present lives. They each occupy a different position along a continuum between traditional Asian/Indian culture and the context of contemporary London, dealing with one another, their families, and their husbands or lovers with enormous humor and honesty.

This all sounds deadly, but that’s because I’m not the brilliant writer Syal is. It’s a hugely funny, moving, fascinating picture of a world not half as remote from our experience as I would have thought before reading it. Pour yourself a mango laasi and settle down for a good read, making sure to remember that Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee.

reviewed by Irene M. Girton March 3 2001