Book review: Pyjamas are Forgiving, by Twinkle Khanna

Let me begin with a confession. I am a big fan of Twinkle Khanna's literary work. Her articles, tweets, posts, interviews, I make it a point to read them all. Sure, I might have missed a few here and there, butI do like her work. When I read her first book, Mrs. Funnybones, I memorized a few of the pargrphs that I could speak out loud. You know, to sound funny and come across as 'cool' in front of the ladies. I was disappointed when I couldn't read her second book, 'The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad'. I believe her second book would have done well because when I went to buy it I was informed that it was out of stock. This is how I ended with her third book, 'Pyjamas are Forgiving'. To be honest, I am disappointed. The book tells the story of Anshu, a divorced lady who is in a retreat where she meets a bunch of people including her ex-husband and his current (and apparently much hotter) wife. What follows is the story of Anshu's stay at the retreat. I may run out of words and still won't be able to express my disappointment. That is the extent of what I feel for this book. The entire story takes place in a wellness resort. Whenever this is the premise of any work, the place in question that amalgames and/ or contrasts those of its inhabitants. That seems to be missing. There are quite a few characters in the resort. However, they fail to inspire, awe, repulse, or draw out any emotion from the reader. They are just there. A person with a beginner level knowledge of Bollywood (or entire Indian cinema, in general) will be quick to point out that they exist just to give a generic feel of someone being there. They are stereotypical with forgettable and interchangeable generic traits. I feel the author could have spent some more efforts in making all of her characters interesting. For someone having a command over words as great as Twinkle Khanna does, the output seems very basic and beginner-like. But perhaps this works in favour for those who are looking for an easy read over a lazy Sunday afternoon. What the book lacks in terms of storytelling, it makes up for it in its simple to understand language and easy setting.