Lina Ray has an extraordinary gift for matchmaking; in
fact, she set up her younger sister with her very own
Prince Charming, who happens to bear a striking resemblance
to Johnny Depp. After setting up several successful
marriages, her family starts to wonder why Lina can't find
her own Indian prince. Before her sister's wedding
reception is even over, her Auntie Kiki is threatening to
marry her off to the man who's scarily similar to Pee-Wee
Herman -- what's a girl to do? In a fit of panic, Lina
suddenly announces her secret engagement, to the delight of
her entire family, all their friends and the entire country
of India.
Really, how much trouble could one little lie get Lina into?
When pressed for answers about her mystery man, Lina
realizes she's about to get in over her head. Escaping from
the prying eyes of her family, Lina goes for a walk and
runs into the man of her dreams -- or is he?
Tall, handsome and wearing spicy cologne, Raja Prasad is
every Indian girl's dream. Well, except for Lina's. She
finds him completely arrogant and chauvinistic, yet...there's
something about him that draws them together. Too bad
she's "engaged" and he has a fiancée! As her little white
lie turns into a complete nightmare, Lina's fake fiancé
starts to resemble the loathsome Raja. Will destiny and
desire help their fledgling romance, or will this turn out
to be a fate worse than an arranged marriage?
Even though the story is familiar in the realm of chick
lit, Anjali Banerjee manages to invent a unique
story filled with humor and love. The exotic setting of
India is a refreshing change from the usual New York or
London. The story moves along quickly as Lina gets more
tangled in her web of lies. I kept wondering, "How will she
ever get out of this?!" IMAGINARY MEN is a bright spot in
multicultural chick lit and recommended for fans of
Monsoon Wedding and Bend It like Beckham.
Lina Ray has a knack for pairing up perfect couples as a
professional matchmaker in San Francisco, but her well-
meaning, highly traditional Indian family wants her to get
married. When her Auntie Kiki introduces Lina to the
bachelor from hell at her sister's wedding in India, Lina
panics and blurts out, "I'm engaged!" Because what's the
harm in a little lie?
Lina scrambles to find a real fiancé because Auntie Kiki
will be coming to America soon to approve the match. But
date after disastrous date gets her no closer to her
prince - until an actual prince arrives on her doorstep.
Lina hasn't been able to stop fantasizing about
traditional but dashing Raja Prasad since she met him in
India. In fact, her imaginary fiancé has begun to resemble
him! Now Raja is in San Francisco and wants Lina to find a
suitable bride for his brother. Though they live oceans
apart, Lina longs to bridge the gap. But when her
fantastic fib catches up with her life is suddenly like a
Bollywood flick gone horribly wrong. Lina may have an over-
developed fantasy life, but she certainly never imagined
things would turn out like this!
