I Wish We Weren't Related

September 4, 2023
In the acerbic latest from Sanghani (Things I Love About Myself), a 30-something London woman is pulled reluctantly into family drama. When Reeva Metha finds out her father’s dying wish was for her and her two sisters to reunite to perform the Hindu prayers for him, she’s shocked to learn he’d only recently died. Her Bollywood singer mother, Saraswati, had told the girls their father died when Reeva was five. Now Reeva must spend two weeks in her dead dad’s house in Leicester with her sisters: Jaya, a lifestyle influencer who ran off with Reeva’s boyfriend of nine years; and Sita, the perfect wife to Nitin and mother to twin girls. While Reeva’s life looks solid on paper—she’s killing it as a divorce lawyer and dating music agent Nick—she holds resentment against both sisters and her mother. To make matters worse, she’s started to lose her hair from the stress of spending time with Nick and keeping up a cool facade, afraid he won’t like her if she reveals her true self. As the sisters try to piece together why their parents lied to them, Reeva must decide if she’ll hold onto her resentments or let them go. While some of the plot turns rely on the family members jumping to far-fetched conclusions, the characters feel genuine and Sanghani keeps Reeva’s narration fresh by showing how she thinks as a lawyer to get out of sticky situations. This is great fun. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency.

June 10, 2024

The phrase "an unexpected death in the family" takes on new meaning for Reeva Mehta and her sisters when they learn that their father has recently died--perplexing, as they thought he passed away 30 years earlier. Their father's final wish was that they join his family--all strangers--for two weeks of mourning prayers in his home. At least, that's what their mother tells them, but the geographically and emotionally distant Bollywood star's track record for honesty is less than stellar. At least two weeks' forced proximity may be what the sisters need to solve a mystery and heal the rift between them. Sanghani's (30 Things I Love About Myself) latest throws its heroine into so much drama she begins losing her hair. Narrator Tania Rodrigues gives voice to Reeva as she ruminates over the stressors causing her alopecia, in a voice that's sometimes heavy on therapy speak but holds listeners' sympathy. Rodrigues's narration adds plausibility to situations that defy belief (in a fun way) and features superb vocal distinction for the sisters, their mother, and side characters of all genders and backgrounds. VERDICT A dramatically delightful tale, full of British Indian cultural details and enhanced by top-notch narration.--Lauren Kage

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