For the Blessings of Jupiter and Venus

by Varun Gauri

Varun Gauri's debut novel is a funny, surprising book that brings an unexpected and clever twist to immigration-and-assimilation stories. You'll miss it long after you've finished reading. - Neel Mukherjee, Author of The Lives of Others (2014), finalist for the Man Booker Prize


Disillusioned with modern romance, globe-trotting Meena tries an arranged marriage with Avi, an aspiring politician in Ohio. But when Avi's political opponent launches racist attacks, Meena and Avi are forced to defend their immigrant community, which narrowly understands its own traditions, and protect their increasingly shaky relationship. This is an intimate, funny, and heartbreaking novel about small-town America and the politics of marriage. Winner of the 2024 Carol Trawick Fiction Award from the Washington Writers' Publishing House.




Varun Gauri captures the travails of a modern young Indian couple who find love the old-fashioned way, to the surprise of their families. The couple struggles with scheming relatives. Small-town politics. Real estate deals. Nationalist agendas. What could possibly go wrong?- Susan Coll, author of Real Life and Other Fictions and former president of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation




An exuberant debut that is as bitingly funny as it is wise. - Tania James, author of Loot.

Genres: Fiction

236 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2024

Reviews

[Martha Anne Toll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!
Could not put it down.
Here's my review for NPR Books We Love end of the year list: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#year...

[Priya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting and unique story about South Asian diaspora life. With two POVs and a mixture of plotlines including local politics, arranged marriage, and generational divides, Gauri explores what it means to carry legacies and cultural norms forward while trying to figure out who you are.

I found the book very slow for the first half or so, and it was difficult to root for some of the characters. Growth and a faster-paced plot come later in the book, and felt more engaging and timely in terms of topics touched upon. By then, the story sort of felt rushed.

I also had problems with Gauri’s writing style. It was hard to ascertain separation between scenes and how much time passed, even within one character’s POV. It made the story seem clunky and forced together at times.

Overall, it was a unique and interesting plot but definitely a one-time read for me.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Gauri's novel was humorous and thought-provoking. I loved the characters, and that it was set in northeastern Ohio where I grew up. It began as the story of an arranged marriage, but turned into something more touching and relevant to where our country is today vis a vis immigration, diversity and tolerance.

[dan coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the writing--and the writer's willingness to dig deep into what "politics" might look: in a community wrestling with who should and shouldn't belong...and inside of a marriage whose partners keep banging up against how hard falling can be. It broke my heart in all the right ways.

[Marc Mannheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the growth of the characters and the pockmarked plot and introspection that brought them there. All characters true to themselves/ nicely drawn out. The author has a nice capacity for humor and sweetness.

[Dot526 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea, and the uniqueness of it, is good. It’s also the only reason I finished this. The writing felt too clunky or stilted to me and I found it hard to follow why any character was making the choice(s) they were. Not upset I read it, but not something I see myself recommending.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique storyline, character growth, and a forward moving plot made this book a quick and easy enjoyable read for me.

Put another way, there are books I read where I constantly check to see how much is left because I can’t wait to be done. With this book, I just kept reading, the pages left getting effortlessly thinner and thinner until the end.

[Siddhi Palande · Rating 4 out of 5]

For The Blessings Of Jupiter And Venus by Varun Gauri is an eclectic read. The book promises a nuanced exploration of marriage, identity and family dynamics. It is a journey of cultural fusion, personal growth and relationship dynamics through love, identity and self-discovery.

Gauri’s debut novel For The Blessings of Jupiter and Venus narrates a wholesome, funny, and riveting tale of two souls— Meena and Avi. The globetrotting Meena believes in the nuances of modern love but agrees to an arranged marriage. She marries a politician from Ohio, Avi. As they embark on a new journey together, the road seems bumpy. But, things turn bitter when Avi’s opponent Jim hurls racial comments at them. Both Meena and Avi feel the need to step up and defend their community.©


Read the entire book review here 👇
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[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Meena decides to enter a traditional (arranged) marriage with Avi, she quickly realizes it isn’t what she expected. Avi is running for a trustee position in their Ohio city and a man from a prominent family runs against him, making racist comments about Avi and Indians in general.

While Meena and Avi both profess to being modern, they both also fall back into gender and cultural roles, creating frustration and miscommunication. On top of that, Meena suffers a miscarriage and when Avi doesn’t support her the way she needs, she believes she made a mistake in marrying him and returns to India.

The distance allows both Avi and Meena to reflect on their expectations and their roles in the martial breakdown. When an unexpected person enters Avi’s life, it brings an opportunity for him and Meena to try to find new life in their relationship.

The story is insightful and touching, although it seems to rush to an ending.

[Scott Sowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full transparency, Varun and I were both in the same writing group while he was working on this book and I was an early fan of the story. The plot follows an Indian-American couple who decide to try an arranged marriage after both of them struggled with the dating scene. I takes place in a small town in Ohio, and coincidentally I grew up in a small town in Ohio. The characters are well drawn and the plot moves along quite nicely. It's equal parts sad, funny, heartwarming and heartbreaking. Prior to reading this I knew virtually nothing about arranged marriages and was unaware it was still a thing in some cultures. All around well done and an excellent read. Fully recommend.

[I S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything made sense as soon as I saw this was written by a man. There are hints of what good be the makings of a good book, but none of them actualized into anything more than disappointment.

Avi and Meena’s character developments felt jarring and abrupt. There were so many worthy themes: the intricacies of immigrant identities, familial obligations, navigating tradition in a modern world. But other than some interesting relational dynamics between Avi and his uncle, Meena and her mother/sister, there wasn’t much substance to any of these ideas. Felt super unsatisfactory. “Raw” and “real” cannot be substitutes for shitty, let’s not do that

[Charisma (charismatic_bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of potential but needs a little love. Some parts were oversaturated with detail and others were not saturated enough. The sex scene in the book was horrendous, it was so distant and honestly not how sex/making love should be. It was just stating what happened instead of describing the sensuality and love that could’ve been described. Honestly a good bit of there book was just intense monologue-ing, more tell than show.

Overall, it wasn’t a horrible story. Avi is fairly unlikable until the end and there’s a ton of miscommunication but it does tell an in depth story about arranged marriages and relationships in general.

[Ms. Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a delightful journey into the heart of an Indian family in America forging new traditions while honoring the tried and true ways of generations half a world away. In their search for love, Avi, Meena and an original yet familiar cast of characters marry the best each world has to offer as they seek and discover all the ways their path forward is different and yet exactly the same. There is is no lack of hilarity as all the senses gather in this artfully conceived story to carry the reader to a place where themes of love and belonging need no translation.

[Laura Sturza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a joyful read! The voices of each of the lovely, complicated characters shine in this book, a romance that left me wondering all along, would this couple make it, could they? While I've seen several terrific movies about arranged marriage, this delightful book took me into the world of arranged marriages in an entirely new way. While there is a great deal of humor in the book, it is balanced with the heartfelt actions of these folks as they try to make sense of straddling two cultures, and earnestly trying to mesh tradition and modernity in this bighearted book.

[Caroline Bock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beautiful Debut!

For the Blessings of Jupiter and Venus tells a page-turning intimate story of marriage between two Indian-Americans, who in a small town in Ohio, are torn between modern love American-style and traditional/arranged marriage. I was captivated by the characters —Avi and Meena—and the deft alternate points of view. I would recommend to any book club that likes literary romances—and a chance to explore a lot of questions about identity, marriage.

[Mark Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although concerned with the Indian diaspora in America, this is really a story about the universal themes of love, family, and authenticity. It’s a beautifully written novel. By the end, I was really rooting for the main characters, both as individuals and as a couple.

I can't wait to read this author's next book!

[Tamar Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the Blessings of Jupiter and Venus is a funny, compelling, heartwarming and at times heartbreaking book! Gauri paints a hilarious and yet deeply felt picture of a family torn between cultures, trying to figure out what it means to belong--and where and how they want to belong. I highly recommend it!

[SD · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Meena, a woman with much professional success, is trying to figure out the formula for personal success and decides to give an arranged marriage a try. It works for so many other South Asians, so why not her? The book is lighthearted, but I had trouble getting into the characters and understanding why their motivations kept changing. I guess I was expecting more of a serious book than the rom-com feel.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot speak highly enough about this book! It is one of those rare gems that manages to be both uproarious and evocative. It drew me along with a fast-paced plot; made me laugh out loud; and brought me to tears. Above all, it captured the compelling nature of romantic love. Just beautiful.

[MM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Began well, but I lost interest half way. Found the style and story engaging at first, but then both petered out. I knew Varun when he worked as an economist at the World Bank, and I was curious about his debut novel. He is still working on his art.

[barbara Bruns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting book.

Varun Gauri takes you inside indelibly drawn characters and a fascinating world of cultural mashup in small town America. The writing is exquisite. This is a unique and unforgettable novel.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the modern Indian immigrant community through the lense of arranged marriages. Both Avi and Meena make mistakes especially with communication. The second half of the book was stronger in you got to see a lot of growth in both characters.

[Yasmeen Gauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is both funny and heartbreaking, with incredibly written characters. What an amazing debut!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite read, but anytime I learn something new about a different culture is a win for me and well worth it!

[Pamela Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, yet sad at times, overall a heartwarming story.