Lakshmi Sen co-owns and runs a sari shop with her mother
in Seattle. Lakshmi has many satisfied customers because
Lakshmi knows. She utilizes a sixth sense that enables
her to feel and understand the joys and pains—and the
secrets—of her clientele, and thus selects the perfect sari
for whatever the occasion. That is, until Lakshmi meets
Nick Dunbar. When Nick is in the vicinity, Lakshmis "knowing"
fails her, jeopardizing her most important sale, for the
wedding of a famous and demanding Bollywood actress. Even
more importantly, she is attracted to him, despite
agreeing to an arranged marriage. Lakshmi faces choosing
between cultural expectations and mutual attraction, not
wanting to disappoint her dead father, or her secretive
mother. Will Lakshmi "know" the right path for her own
happiness?
INVSIBLE LIVES landed smack in the middle of my top 10
list of reads for this year. How does a book make my top
10 list? It must have a fresh plot, engaging characters,
and be so well-written that I lose myself in the story, I
learn something new, and I feel blessed to have read it
when the story is done. Ms. Banerjee's second novel
satisfies on all fronts.
I'm not aware of too many romance novels set in the Indian
community. This is a world unknown to many romance
readers but one that Ms. Banerjee does an excellent job of
relating in a way that the reader quickly finds her
footing. It is difficult to provide the explanations
necessary when the setting or culture is unfamiliar but
Ms. Banerjee navigates this potential pitfall with
aplomb. INVISIBLE LIVES is lighthearted yet intriguing.
The reader will root for not only Lakshmi but also her
friends who find their own ways to handle the expectations
of their culture while living in a foreign land. I plan
to look up Ms. Banerjee's other titles.
Lakshmi Sen was born with a magical ability to perceive
the secret longings in others. Putting aside her own
dreams to help run her widowed mother's struggling Seattle
sari shop, Mystic Elegance, Lakshmi knows exactly how to
bring happiness to customers -- from lonely immigrants to
starry-eyed young brides. And to honor her father's dying
wish, she has agreed to marry a respectable Indian doctor
who will uphold her family's traditions.
But when a famous Indian actress chooses Mystic Elegance
to provide her wedding trousseau, Lakshmi finds herself
falling for the actress's sexy chauffeur -- all-American
Nick Dunbar -- and her powers seem to desert her just as
she needs them most. As Nick draws Lakshmi into his world,
however, new dreams awaken in her, and she begins to
uncover deeper, startling longings in her mother, her
friends, her fiancé, and even herself. But choosing
between Nick and her fiancé seems an impossible task, like
intuiting the very nature of true love. Is it instantly
recognizable or does it need time to grow? And how can she
possibly know for sure?
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