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Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors
'Truly infectious' Guardian
Appa and Amma have driven home a shiny new Honda Civic to show off to their neighbours in Blue Hills housing colony. But their triumph is short lived. Their eldest son Sreenath is behaving strangely, and the reason soon becomes a secretly filmed video of Sreenath and his girlfriend Anita has been posted to a porn site, and nearly everyone they know has seen it.
The ensuing war - with Sreenath and Anita on one side and their families on the other - becomes a news sensation, emblematic of a wider generational struggle. The novel is narrated by Sreenath's younger brother, just as eager to rebel against conventional morality. But to keep his family together he will have to compromise his integrity and, in doing so, bring buried tensions between him and his brother to the surface.
Full of dark comedy and insight about shame and the online generation, this is a poignant story about now told by a narrator who will beguile and surprise you.
Appa and Amma have driven home a shiny new Honda Civic to show off to their neighbours in Blue Hills housing colony. But their triumph is short lived. Their eldest son Sreenath is behaving strangely, and the reason soon becomes a secretly filmed video of Sreenath and his girlfriend Anita has been posted to a porn site, and nearly everyone they know has seen it.
The ensuing war - with Sreenath and Anita on one side and their families on the other - becomes a news sensation, emblematic of a wider generational struggle. The novel is narrated by Sreenath's younger brother, just as eager to rebel against conventional morality. But to keep his family together he will have to compromise his integrity and, in doing so, bring buried tensions between him and his brother to the surface.
Full of dark comedy and insight about shame and the online generation, this is a poignant story about now told by a narrator who will beguile and surprise you.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2022
48 people are currently reading
1613 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
January 5, 2023
At some point in the story, where something scandalous has already unfolded, this paragraph appears involving the two brothers, of which, one is a narrator –
The younger brother, from whose lens we view the whole story, finds himself caught in this circle of questioning and explaining when an intimate moment of Sree and Anita is captured anonymously and leaked into the world wide web. While the boys’ Appa and Amma, after the initial shock of the discovery, hover gingerly near the arc of grief - beginning with denial, anger and bargaining – they holler right back to anger as a mark of rebellion, before succumbing to acceptance. The girl’s Appa and Amma are made of similar cloth but dyed in a different factory for they ferry around acceptance first and keep reaching for a bargain relentlessly. Because the shame brought by a daughter is worse than the son, no?
This journey is, however, fraught with moments of face-offs and tempers, teases and helplessness, magnanimity and petulance, disdain and care, all set on a canvas that is a terrific reflection of the intergenerational dynamics in Indian society where moral policing can lead to disastrous results, affecting as far as a lifetime.
Despite the seriousness of the central theme, the story has many lighter and tender moments which makes it akin to life. So, like under a fluctuating light, my heart chuckled and smiled with the high beams, knowing very well that the light shall eventually turn off and leave behind a different kind of pall for me to navigate.
But don’t read for me. Read it for Appa and Amma. Read it for Sree and Anita. Read it for Sree’s younger brother. Read it for the banality of effort. Read it for the resilience of bonds. But above all, read it for love – in all its forms, when it is having fun outdoors as well as when it is suffocating behind doors.
---
Also on my website.
Sree didn’t say anything. I’d rather he turned mad. I wanted to both punch him and be punched by him. I felt that if we punched each other just the right way, certain words would come tumbling out and everything would be all right.’And there is where the strength of the novel lies – dishing out the tensest of situations with an unapologetic dollop of wry humor. How else can one handle the stress and agony that befalls a conservative family when a sex tape of one of its children finds its way on internet?
The younger brother, from whose lens we view the whole story, finds himself caught in this circle of questioning and explaining when an intimate moment of Sree and Anita is captured anonymously and leaked into the world wide web. While the boys’ Appa and Amma, after the initial shock of the discovery, hover gingerly near the arc of grief - beginning with denial, anger and bargaining – they holler right back to anger as a mark of rebellion, before succumbing to acceptance. The girl’s Appa and Amma are made of similar cloth but dyed in a different factory for they ferry around acceptance first and keep reaching for a bargain relentlessly. Because the shame brought by a daughter is worse than the son, no?
This journey is, however, fraught with moments of face-offs and tempers, teases and helplessness, magnanimity and petulance, disdain and care, all set on a canvas that is a terrific reflection of the intergenerational dynamics in Indian society where moral policing can lead to disastrous results, affecting as far as a lifetime.
Despite the seriousness of the central theme, the story has many lighter and tender moments which makes it akin to life. So, like under a fluctuating light, my heart chuckled and smiled with the high beams, knowing very well that the light shall eventually turn off and leave behind a different kind of pall for me to navigate.
But don’t read for me. Read it for Appa and Amma. Read it for Sree and Anita. Read it for Sree’s younger brother. Read it for the banality of effort. Read it for the resilience of bonds. But above all, read it for love – in all its forms, when it is having fun outdoors as well as when it is suffocating behind doors.
---
Also on my website.
November 16, 2025
This is charming family drama - one centred around an Indian family living in a small Indian community.
I was attracted to the title, which has the air of an ironic news story, and suggests embarrassing shenanigans.
Unsurprisingly, the book's plot revolves around shenanigans, of young couple Sree and Anita, who are around 18 or 19 at the time of said shenanigans, and who had the unfortunate luck of being filmed. The video makes its way to the internet, and goes viral, eventually making its way to the small town in which they live, years after the "activity" took place. When their parents find out, all hell breaks loose.
The story is told from the point of view of the younger brother, who is about twenty at the time, and has the uncomfortable role of go-between and peacekeeper, and who lives through the suffocating pressure that descends on the family home because of Sree's extramarital, outdoor spree.
It's an impressive debut novel because it's charming and warm to an extent, but also doesn't cave to the pressure of a tidy ending, or sentimentalized characters. More than once I wished that Sree and Anita could have been "nicer" (for lack of a better word), but then I instantly was glad that they weren't. That would have been some kind of compromise on the author's part. The story Javan tells is one of generational gaps, cultural expectations, and the toll that can take on two flawed but well-meaning families.
No one in this story wants harm to come to their loved ones. That lasting harm should come to anyone in this situation is laughable. But, there are these rules we all live by, rules that are largely unspoken until someone we are close with breaks one.
I was attracted to the title, which has the air of an ironic news story, and suggests embarrassing shenanigans.
Unsurprisingly, the book's plot revolves around shenanigans, of young couple Sree and Anita, who are around 18 or 19 at the time of said shenanigans, and who had the unfortunate luck of being filmed. The video makes its way to the internet, and goes viral, eventually making its way to the small town in which they live, years after the "activity" took place. When their parents find out, all hell breaks loose.
The story is told from the point of view of the younger brother, who is about twenty at the time, and has the uncomfortable role of go-between and peacekeeper, and who lives through the suffocating pressure that descends on the family home because of Sree's extramarital, outdoor spree.
It's an impressive debut novel because it's charming and warm to an extent, but also doesn't cave to the pressure of a tidy ending, or sentimentalized characters. More than once I wished that Sree and Anita could have been "nicer" (for lack of a better word), but then I instantly was glad that they weren't. That would have been some kind of compromise on the author's part. The story Javan tells is one of generational gaps, cultural expectations, and the toll that can take on two flawed but well-meaning families.
No one in this story wants harm to come to their loved ones. That lasting harm should come to anyone in this situation is laughable. But, there are these rules we all live by, rules that are largely unspoken until someone we are close with breaks one.
did-not-finish
February 22, 2023Wow, with such a fascinating premise, I'm shocked that this ended up being one of the most mind-numbing books I've ever attempted. I'm giving up at the 60% mark.
A young straight boyfriend and girlfriend in Trivandrum, Kerala thought they'd found a private enough spot in a park one night a few years ago, but no: someone secretly filmed them going at it, and now that video is all over the internet. His parents find out, and confront their now-20-something son. He goes mute, locks himself in his room. They go mute, break dishes and bang doors. The brother-narrator doesn't know what to do. The shamed brother moves out, stays at a friend's. He's still with the same girlfriend as in the video. The brother-narrator goes over to see his brother and his girlfriend sometimes. No one talks over there. No one talks at home. The characters are all angry, it seems, for various reasons, but that is conveyed to the reader in the dullest, driest, unfunniest, unsexiest way imaginable. Oh my god!
This could have been a riveting exploration of evolving sexual mores in this part of India, shown through more fully-realized character with inner lives, some of whom the author thought it worth granting the reader access to. But no.
A young straight boyfriend and girlfriend in Trivandrum, Kerala thought they'd found a private enough spot in a park one night a few years ago, but no: someone secretly filmed them going at it, and now that video is all over the internet. His parents find out, and confront their now-20-something son. He goes mute, locks himself in his room. They go mute, break dishes and bang doors. The brother-narrator doesn't know what to do. The shamed brother moves out, stays at a friend's. He's still with the same girlfriend as in the video. The brother-narrator goes over to see his brother and his girlfriend sometimes. No one talks over there. No one talks at home. The characters are all angry, it seems, for various reasons, but that is conveyed to the reader in the dullest, driest, unfunniest, unsexiest way imaginable. Oh my god!
This could have been a riveting exploration of evolving sexual mores in this part of India, shown through more fully-realized character with inner lives, some of whom the author thought it worth granting the reader access to. But no.
June 22, 2022
I wasn't expecting to like this nearly as much as I did, but it's just so well written. A lot of the themes - family drama, fall out from a single event, intergenerational differences - are not uncommon but rarely explored this well. It's not a tremendously exciting plot-filled book, but it is driven by the power of the writing and the characters. It's a slice of life type book with some dark humour woven in, and completely immerses you in the stifling situation of the family home with adult children and conflict that arises. I'd highly recommend it.
May 9, 2025
Avevo adocchiato questo titolo la settimana scorsa, durante uno dei miei giri settimanali alla Feltrinelli. La sinossi mi era sembrata subito interessante, ma non ero sicura se comparlo o meno, dunque lo avevo lasciato lì. Tornata a casa, ho continuato a pensare a questo libro, in particolare al suo titolo così spiritoso, che mi aveva subito colpita. Ho cercato una copia epub sulla piattaforma MLOL e l'ho scaricato poco dopo, perché ero curiosissima di leggerlo.
E ora, a volume finito, devo dire che questo libro è stata una gran bella scoperta! Mi è piaciuto il contrasto fra lo stile di scrittura ironico e spigliato e i valori arcaici e bigotti della società indiana come presentati dallo scrittore. Ho trovato inoltre che il libro fosse molto scorrevole, un interessante spaccato dell'India moderna.
Per quanto riguarda l'edizione italiana, avrei voluto che il volume avesse qualche nota a piè di pagina che desse informazioni in più su alcuni aspetti culturali non proprio conosciuti (come alcuni degi attori o dei luoghi citati), ma nel complesso anche questa è promossa a pieni voti.
E ora, a volume finito, devo dire che questo libro è stata una gran bella scoperta! Mi è piaciuto il contrasto fra lo stile di scrittura ironico e spigliato e i valori arcaici e bigotti della società indiana come presentati dallo scrittore. Ho trovato inoltre che il libro fosse molto scorrevole, un interessante spaccato dell'India moderna.
Per quanto riguarda l'edizione italiana, avrei voluto che il volume avesse qualche nota a piè di pagina che desse informazioni in più su alcuni aspetti culturali non proprio conosciuti (come alcuni degi attori o dei luoghi citati), ma nel complesso anche questa è promossa a pieni voti.
August 4, 2022
“while Appa did have temper, I couldn’t recall an outburst as worrying as the one that had just happened. Of course, they weren’t the type to be quietly angry or even passively aggressive. Shouting wasn’t uncommon, and when that didn’t work, flying cups, saucers and plates were all part of the vocabulary. I don’t want to give the impression that we were crass. It’s just that no one had time to be subtle.”
I have never enjoyed the process of reading a book as much as I did with Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors. It is the kind of book that makes the physical act of reading so pleasurable that you just want to keep on doing it. I turned page after page after page until the sun had shrunk behind the line of houses opposite mine. While I was reading it, I was reminded of the similar feeling I used get when I read Sally Rooney’s books and now when I think of it, they do mirror each other, not so much in plot or story but the way the simplicity of writing and the whole lightheartedness of the book(s) promises for a good time.
So, what is it about? When a video of Sreenath and his girlfriend Anita gets posted on an adult website, a war starts with them on one side and their families on the other. Our narrator, the younger brother of Sree, finds himself in the middle of it. The story is not the focus here. Aravind Jayan paints perfectly the idiosyncrasies of middle-class parents, teenage angst, small town gossip, all with such nuance and humour. Everything felt relatable, the characters seemed like I had seen them and see them still everyday, the fights ensuing between the parents, the sly gaze of neighbors, the urgency of youth, the digital world and reading it all seemed like the entire book was happening in my own colony.
I love this book! When I was half way through I knew it would end up on my favourite-books-of -the-year list. When I was not reading it, I was craving to get back to it and when I was reading it, I didn't want a soul to disturb me. Oh I can’t possibly say how much I love this book. If I have ever recommended a book to you, forget it. Instead, pick this up.
I have never enjoyed the process of reading a book as much as I did with Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors. It is the kind of book that makes the physical act of reading so pleasurable that you just want to keep on doing it. I turned page after page after page until the sun had shrunk behind the line of houses opposite mine. While I was reading it, I was reminded of the similar feeling I used get when I read Sally Rooney’s books and now when I think of it, they do mirror each other, not so much in plot or story but the way the simplicity of writing and the whole lightheartedness of the book(s) promises for a good time.
So, what is it about? When a video of Sreenath and his girlfriend Anita gets posted on an adult website, a war starts with them on one side and their families on the other. Our narrator, the younger brother of Sree, finds himself in the middle of it. The story is not the focus here. Aravind Jayan paints perfectly the idiosyncrasies of middle-class parents, teenage angst, small town gossip, all with such nuance and humour. Everything felt relatable, the characters seemed like I had seen them and see them still everyday, the fights ensuing between the parents, the sly gaze of neighbors, the urgency of youth, the digital world and reading it all seemed like the entire book was happening in my own colony.
I love this book! When I was half way through I knew it would end up on my favourite-books-of -the-year list. When I was not reading it, I was craving to get back to it and when I was reading it, I didn't want a soul to disturb me. Oh I can’t possibly say how much I love this book. If I have ever recommended a book to you, forget it. Instead, pick this up.
June 28, 2022
'Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors' is an enjoyable and well-written comedy of manners which explores intergenerational conflict and the tension between tradition and modernity in present-day India. The novel presents the ramifications of an explicit video of a young couple, Sreenath and Anita, being shared online. While Sreenath and Anita themselves act largely unconcerned, their families are horrified and resort to increasingly desperate measures in the hope of averting scandal.
The plot and characterisation were consistently engaging, but what I particularly loved was the narrative voice; the novel is narrated by Sreenath's unnamed younger brother who finds himself thrust into the role of reluctant go-between after Sreenath is thrown out by his father. Rather like Nick Carraway or Nathan Zuckerman, he is a perceptive commentator on the foibles of other players in this drama, whilst also having some insight into his own flaws, and as the story unfolds, we realise that it is just as much his story as Sreenath and Anita's. Jayan also depicts all his characters with real warmth and affection as they grapple with a world that is changing around them.
This is a brilliant debut novel - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.
The plot and characterisation were consistently engaging, but what I particularly loved was the narrative voice; the novel is narrated by Sreenath's unnamed younger brother who finds himself thrust into the role of reluctant go-between after Sreenath is thrown out by his father. Rather like Nick Carraway or Nathan Zuckerman, he is a perceptive commentator on the foibles of other players in this drama, whilst also having some insight into his own flaws, and as the story unfolds, we realise that it is just as much his story as Sreenath and Anita's. Jayan also depicts all his characters with real warmth and affection as they grapple with a world that is changing around them.
This is a brilliant debut novel - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.
August 13, 2022
Trivandrum Twenty-Somethings
Review of the Serpent's Tail hardcover (July 7, 2022)
I have realized that books about twenty-somethings really don't touch me anymore. What I might have been able to identify with 50 years ago is now quite distant. I've noticed this earlier with the books of Sally Rooney which seem to be extremely popular in general but which leave me cold. Probably she is a good writer but her subject matter just doesn't hold much interest for me.
I had somewhat of a similar reaction to Aravind Jayan's first novel Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors. The book is well written and made for an easy read. But I just don't relate to the issues of the younger characters very well, even if I could sympathize with their situations. The couple of the title are Anita and Sreenath who are now in their early twenties. Unknown to themselves, a few years previously they were secretly filmed while making out at a supposedly secluded outdoor location but which was apparently a target site of voyeurs. The resultant video has now appeared online and its eventual discovery by the two extended families results in a crisis culminating in the distancing of the lovers from their parents.
The story is told from the point of view of Sreenath's younger brother who attempts to play a mediating role in the hope of reconciling the parents with the lovers. This doesn't play out as planned as Sreenath becomes even more resentful about the interference.
Probably the greatest attraction for me was that though the book is set in the city of Trivandrum, India, the theme of parents and the distancing of communication between generations is a universal issue which most can relate to.
Staff Pick blurb for 'Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors' from Shakespeare and Company, Paris. Image sourced from Twitter.
I read Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors through its inclusion in the 2022 Year of Reading subscription from the English language bookstore Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France.
Review of the Serpent's Tail hardcover (July 7, 2022)
I have realized that books about twenty-somethings really don't touch me anymore. What I might have been able to identify with 50 years ago is now quite distant. I've noticed this earlier with the books of Sally Rooney which seem to be extremely popular in general but which leave me cold. Probably she is a good writer but her subject matter just doesn't hold much interest for me.
I had somewhat of a similar reaction to Aravind Jayan's first novel Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors. The book is well written and made for an easy read. But I just don't relate to the issues of the younger characters very well, even if I could sympathize with their situations. The couple of the title are Anita and Sreenath who are now in their early twenties. Unknown to themselves, a few years previously they were secretly filmed while making out at a supposedly secluded outdoor location but which was apparently a target site of voyeurs. The resultant video has now appeared online and its eventual discovery by the two extended families results in a crisis culminating in the distancing of the lovers from their parents.
The story is told from the point of view of Sreenath's younger brother who attempts to play a mediating role in the hope of reconciling the parents with the lovers. This doesn't play out as planned as Sreenath becomes even more resentful about the interference.
Probably the greatest attraction for me was that though the book is set in the city of Trivandrum, India, the theme of parents and the distancing of communication between generations is a universal issue which most can relate to.
Staff Pick blurb for 'Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors' from Shakespeare and Company, Paris. Image sourced from Twitter.
I read Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors through its inclusion in the 2022 Year of Reading subscription from the English language bookstore Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France.
November 9, 2022
Hands down the best read of 2022!
Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors is a short fun book about the fallout of a sex tape leak in an Indian family.
22-year-old Sree and his girlfriend Anita have been filmed illegally in their college years, and the unfortunate video has finally surfaced online after years, making rounds on local porn sites. The news spreads slowly, and then it is everywhere.
As his parents grapple with what lies ahead for the family's reputation (or lack thereof), Sree is bull-headed and unwilling to sympathize. Sensitivities collide and the generation gap doesn't get wider than this. Fights escalate and reach a fever pitch. The family is reduced to a caricature of themselves at their lowest.
Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors is told from the perspective of the unnamed 20-year-old protagonist who functions as the depressed middleman between his elder brother Sree and their parents.
The book is exceptionally well-written. It is refreshing to follow the melodrama through the eyes of our protagonist and his dry, matter-of-fact humor with which he observes the disaster that unfolds. Not a single joke is out of place. Not a single interaction between the family members is unrealistic.
You don't need to have a sex scandal but every South Asian millennial/Gen Z can relate to the arguments, the conflicting sentiments, and helplessness caused by the event. A version of this has probably played out in every South Asian household (hopefully in response to much pettier conflicts).
But what makes this book truly stand out is the kindness (as much as humanly possible) that the narrator treats his parents with, in stark contrast to Sree's all-or-nothing attitude. You can pick your side but when you reach the last page, you don't walk away with hatred in your heart.
Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors is a short fun book about the fallout of a sex tape leak in an Indian family.
22-year-old Sree and his girlfriend Anita have been filmed illegally in their college years, and the unfortunate video has finally surfaced online after years, making rounds on local porn sites. The news spreads slowly, and then it is everywhere.
As his parents grapple with what lies ahead for the family's reputation (or lack thereof), Sree is bull-headed and unwilling to sympathize. Sensitivities collide and the generation gap doesn't get wider than this. Fights escalate and reach a fever pitch. The family is reduced to a caricature of themselves at their lowest.
Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors is told from the perspective of the unnamed 20-year-old protagonist who functions as the depressed middleman between his elder brother Sree and their parents.
The book is exceptionally well-written. It is refreshing to follow the melodrama through the eyes of our protagonist and his dry, matter-of-fact humor with which he observes the disaster that unfolds. Not a single joke is out of place. Not a single interaction between the family members is unrealistic.
You don't need to have a sex scandal but every South Asian millennial/Gen Z can relate to the arguments, the conflicting sentiments, and helplessness caused by the event. A version of this has probably played out in every South Asian household (hopefully in response to much pettier conflicts).
But what makes this book truly stand out is the kindness (as much as humanly possible) that the narrator treats his parents with, in stark contrast to Sree's all-or-nothing attitude. You can pick your side but when you reach the last page, you don't walk away with hatred in your heart.
August 21, 2022
I really warmed to the naive and neurotic unnamed narrator of this tale about middle-class morals in small town India. A sex tape featuring his brother has been leaked, the brother (who is totally insufferable) is pretending it isn't a problem and his already over-dramatic parents have a meltdown. Occasionally the pacing is a bit awkward and the narrator seems to get caught in repetitive loops, which feels completely understandable for the character, if not thrilling to read. Overall I found it genuinely funny, culturally insightful and charmingly-written.
November 30, 2022
Making the renaissance romance trope of forced marriage after being caught in a compromised position what it truly is: a horror device.
March 19, 2023
‘The ticket is already booked,’ I said. Like it was common knowledge you went to jail if you didn’t honour your ticket.
Of the many things that the author writes here, comments on, this quote stood out to me the most. Its the sum of middle class thought process - must get the side dish that's on discount on Zomato though its not something we like but, its there and thus, for example.
The book is more about repercussions of a sex tape being released and how it affects two families, the parties involved, the society/people the victims are surrounded with and the general populace who always have an opinion. Just like the readers do.
The social commentary comes in the form of opinions of others- the inspector who wants to save the girl who was in the video, the neighborhood aunties who worry for the younger brother, for that relative who is thinking of older parents and their sudden fall from social grace. Having sex tape of children on the internet is not something any parent anywhere on the planet would want. But once it does, the reaction it generates is what differs. Here, it works exactly as expected. It becomes a messy fight between two families, a hushed ending and a thing that people reminisce and associate to them in the future and very obvious in the way the parents take moral responsibility.
We are seeing the events unfold from the point of view of the younger brother whose side hustle (sometimes even main job) seems to be keeping peace. AKA, tolerance for all the views, say nothing or say "I totally understand but...". His narration has a sense of resignation, urgency, neurotic and amenability - all at once. He runs point between his older brother, his parents during the time of chaos and finally steps out of his home and moves to find some semblance of peace. He finds out that how these things don't really die but lie around in a sort of semi-obscure state but every now and then someone revives it. With passing time, there a certain degree of peace established between the families, though the ties are fraught and fragile.
Pretty good read, though didn't offer anything new than what I anticipated.
I cannot be sure if this is intentional or not, the moment it all comes out and the initial few days it follows, no one really asks the couple if they are OK. The younger brother makes some noises that sound like it but no adult, no parent, no relative really sits them down and asks - hey are you guys OK? The absence of this is perhaps the tagline for this book.
August 15, 2022
In a country that is termed ‘regressive’ every other day, it is indeed difficult to deal with the consequences of a pornographic video that is out in the wild, and is spreading like wildfire. Shree and Anita, caught in this scandal, are set to face the worst trail of their lives.
Set mainly within the four walls of a house, this is a novel that exhaustively narrates the drama that unfolds in a middly class family following the big reveal.
Narrated by Shree’s brother, what we get is essentially a commentary on actions and emotions that are running high in the household. Shree’s parents are living in denial whereas Anita’s mother is hell bent on a marriage that will help them save face in front of their relatives and neighbours.
However, there’s one perspective that takes precedence over all. Shree’s younger brother is left behind to collect all the pieces and ‘superglue’ them. But his teenage mind can’t be saved from the scars that are being inflicted because of the hostility between a stubborn brother and orthodox parents, unwilling to understand the situation, communicate and come to an amicable solution. He dreams of peace, a moment of quiet that doesn’t feel like the calm before a storm. He dreams of a deep-rooted bond with his elder brother, who is supposed to act as a guide and not abandon him in this sea of chaos. But right now, all he has is his witty remarks and the deadpan humor, which also saves the reader from the being hit in the face by the absurdity of it all. It’s low-key heartbreaking anyway.
The world looks different when presented by a member of Gen Z. Modern day life, sprinkled generously with the glitz and glam of the internet, requires a light footed approach. Where each day, age old beliefs are being shattered, the woes of growing up in a orthodox family brings new sets of challenges. We are looking for connections everywhere. The urge to secure our present and future, grab love by the neck when the chance presents itself, have some one to depend on and most importantly, find someone who understands us and our core principles. But not matter how hard we try, we wouldn’t get it all.
Set mainly within the four walls of a house, this is a novel that exhaustively narrates the drama that unfolds in a middly class family following the big reveal.
Narrated by Shree’s brother, what we get is essentially a commentary on actions and emotions that are running high in the household. Shree’s parents are living in denial whereas Anita’s mother is hell bent on a marriage that will help them save face in front of their relatives and neighbours.
However, there’s one perspective that takes precedence over all. Shree’s younger brother is left behind to collect all the pieces and ‘superglue’ them. But his teenage mind can’t be saved from the scars that are being inflicted because of the hostility between a stubborn brother and orthodox parents, unwilling to understand the situation, communicate and come to an amicable solution. He dreams of peace, a moment of quiet that doesn’t feel like the calm before a storm. He dreams of a deep-rooted bond with his elder brother, who is supposed to act as a guide and not abandon him in this sea of chaos. But right now, all he has is his witty remarks and the deadpan humor, which also saves the reader from the being hit in the face by the absurdity of it all. It’s low-key heartbreaking anyway.
The world looks different when presented by a member of Gen Z. Modern day life, sprinkled generously with the glitz and glam of the internet, requires a light footed approach. Where each day, age old beliefs are being shattered, the woes of growing up in a orthodox family brings new sets of challenges. We are looking for connections everywhere. The urge to secure our present and future, grab love by the neck when the chance presents itself, have some one to depend on and most importantly, find someone who understands us and our core principles. But not matter how hard we try, we wouldn’t get it all.
February 5, 2025
I love this book because (1) it’s so well written in ways that completely disregard the Western gaze, making a validating read for young English-reading Indians with conditional parental love who are so often caught up helplessly navigating the gaps, the ones who don’t “want to feel like they’d [parents] been left entirely unprepared for life’s big questions” while in their hometowns—“I’d once read a tourist guide that called the city ‘quaint’. It was so quaint that when you woke up on Sunday evenings after a heavy lunch, there was nothing left to do but kill yourself.” There is a lot that could’ve been delved into, making it a better book theoretically, but passing mentions affirm that it’s meant to be an unsaid understanding with the kind of reader the book hopes to connect with. A nod, an inside joke. (2) On a technical level, especially for a debut–gorgeous words, the crunched awkwardness, the unfortunately hilarious parents, readable too, with a good plot at the end of the day. (3) I am 22 from a small town hoping none of that from college leaks. This is the sort of new Indian fiction that needs to be recommended over the likes of whatever masquerades on the streets as young adult, romance, or god forbid, religion.
August 4, 2022
I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked up Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors. I think based on the title and cover I was expecting a lighthearted YA book and since I never read blurbs (I know, I know…) I was in for a bit of a shock.
The story is about a teen couple who (like Ronseal – it does what it says on the tin) have fun outdoors. A little too much fun, you know what I’m sayin’?
All of this is normal for a set-up of a novel but when you factor in geographic location and the culture of the two teenagers (Anita and Sreenath) you begin to understand the impact of their actions.
Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors in an eye-opening look at cultural traditions and modern day youth sometimes clash and the wider impact and implications that follow. It is, at times, uncomfortable to watch the disintegration of the families and you cannot help get frustrated that neither side (young or old) can appreciate the others perspective.
Overall, it is hard to say I enjoyed the books that was so fraught with drama but it was engaging and the juxtaposition of culture values with modernity was an interesting take.
Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors by Aravind Jayan is available now.
The story is about a teen couple who (like Ronseal – it does what it says on the tin) have fun outdoors. A little too much fun, you know what I’m sayin’?
All of this is normal for a set-up of a novel but when you factor in geographic location and the culture of the two teenagers (Anita and Sreenath) you begin to understand the impact of their actions.
Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors in an eye-opening look at cultural traditions and modern day youth sometimes clash and the wider impact and implications that follow. It is, at times, uncomfortable to watch the disintegration of the families and you cannot help get frustrated that neither side (young or old) can appreciate the others perspective.
Overall, it is hard to say I enjoyed the books that was so fraught with drama but it was engaging and the juxtaposition of culture values with modernity was an interesting take.
Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors by Aravind Jayan is available now.
August 22, 2022
What really intrigued me about the book was the synopsis. It was so hilarious and I was sure to love it.
But when I actually started reading the book, I understood how delicately and realistically the author has handled the situation created so comedically in the blurb.
All hell broke loose when a video of Sree and his girlfriend gets leaked and somewhat becomes viral among his peers and family! What follows is a pure chaotic family drama where his younger brother is left to glue the broken pieces of his family.
I absolutely loved the writing and felt that the ending was suitable in terms of reality.
Rating - 4/5🌟
But when I actually started reading the book, I understood how delicately and realistically the author has handled the situation created so comedically in the blurb.
All hell broke loose when a video of Sree and his girlfriend gets leaked and somewhat becomes viral among his peers and family! What follows is a pure chaotic family drama where his younger brother is left to glue the broken pieces of his family.
I absolutely loved the writing and felt that the ending was suitable in terms of reality.
Rating - 4/5🌟
February 12, 2023
4.5, maybe a 5 when I have more of a think about it.
This isn’t an exciting book by any stretch despite the main premise of the story, but it’s so well written that you are completely caught up in the story and the power of the well-written characters and themes that run throughout. Completely immersive with some dark humour but really human responses, it looks at themes like family, intergenerational difference, identity and honour in such a great way for such a small book. I really enjoyed this, as well as the neurotic narrator telling us about the fallout of a sex tape being leaked without consent of anyone involved.
This isn’t an exciting book by any stretch despite the main premise of the story, but it’s so well written that you are completely caught up in the story and the power of the well-written characters and themes that run throughout. Completely immersive with some dark humour but really human responses, it looks at themes like family, intergenerational difference, identity and honour in such a great way for such a small book. I really enjoyed this, as well as the neurotic narrator telling us about the fallout of a sex tape being leaked without consent of anyone involved.
February 20, 2023
This book is going to haunt me. The society’s reaction, dynamics between siblings, mishandling of issues by parents… the narratives are so unique yet universal. I kept hoping for a brighter ending… a hopeful ending, that would justify the gleeful name. But I have been left bereft of any resolute conclusions.
After having read the author’s interview, I can not believe that the author hasn’t lived through such an experience or witnessed it first hand. The characters are so lived in and real. His writing is impeccable. I couldn’t put the book down and read it in one go.
After having read the author’s interview, I can not believe that the author hasn’t lived through such an experience or witnessed it first hand. The characters are so lived in and real. His writing is impeccable. I couldn’t put the book down and read it in one go.
July 15, 2022
By all accounts a fun read with a sprinkle of snort-out-loud sentences that compliment the intriguing setting - one that, however, could have benefited with a more tightly knit narrative.
August 7, 2022
Interesting storyline and fine writing, though it could have been more intense throughout.
February 14, 2023
Loved the narration style. Factual, normal and a little sad/unsettling. Great debut. Can't wait for the author to write more.
December 20, 2023
Der Erzählstil hat mir nicht so gut gefallen ("dann ist das passiert, dann erstmal nichts und dann noch jenes"). Ein paar Stellen waren aber gut und teilweise auch witzig geschrieben.
November 18, 2022
Best book title I’ve seen this year, far better than the book itself.
February 22, 2023
Fresh into a reading marathon, I finished Aravind Jayan's black (?) comedy with a heart, about the aftermath of an illegally filmed sexual act of a couple, within 2 days.
The protagonist's elder brother and his girlfriend are filmed in a moment of intimacy, and the video uploaded to porn sites. We don't know how the people involved themselves come to term with it, because as soon as we find out, we are thrust into the buzz of what everyone else thinks. Parents, siblings, neighbours, friends - maybe intentionally, we never really see the 'couple' in question deal with the aftermath. They're at the periphery of the story. How their act is perceived in a small town in Kerala becomes the overwhelming narrative.
I loved the frustration that the protagonist feels rub off on us, the irritation and sympathy for his brother and parents, the need to please and maintain peace, the desire to be the Guy Who Fixes Everything. You start feeling those too. The humour is Indian, in a way which made me love the book more. Some places might get a little trite, some part of the writing slightly incoherent and prosaic, but I could ride them over for the book's ability to stir emotions in me, and make me as nervous and anxious as the characters.
The protagonist's elder brother and his girlfriend are filmed in a moment of intimacy, and the video uploaded to porn sites. We don't know how the people involved themselves come to term with it, because as soon as we find out, we are thrust into the buzz of what everyone else thinks. Parents, siblings, neighbours, friends - maybe intentionally, we never really see the 'couple' in question deal with the aftermath. They're at the periphery of the story. How their act is perceived in a small town in Kerala becomes the overwhelming narrative.
I loved the frustration that the protagonist feels rub off on us, the irritation and sympathy for his brother and parents, the need to please and maintain peace, the desire to be the Guy Who Fixes Everything. You start feeling those too. The humour is Indian, in a way which made me love the book more. Some places might get a little trite, some part of the writing slightly incoherent and prosaic, but I could ride them over for the book's ability to stir emotions in me, and make me as nervous and anxious as the characters.
September 10, 2022
Eh.
Auf der einen Seite hab ich das Buch an einem Tag durchgelesen, weil es unheimlich witzig und interessant war.
Aber auf der andern Seite fehlte mir Charakterentwicklung. Keiner der Charaktere ist am Ende anders, und irgendwie hat es für mich nichts neues zum Generationenkonflikt gebracht. Der Familienkonflikt, den ein Video das Viral geht auslöst, ist zwar interessant, aber die Geschichte geht für mich nirgendwo hin.
Auf der einen Seite hab ich das Buch an einem Tag durchgelesen, weil es unheimlich witzig und interessant war.
Aber auf der andern Seite fehlte mir Charakterentwicklung. Keiner der Charaktere ist am Ende anders, und irgendwie hat es für mich nichts neues zum Generationenkonflikt gebracht. Der Familienkonflikt, den ein Video das Viral geht auslöst, ist zwar interessant, aber die Geschichte geht für mich nirgendwo hin.
June 10, 2022
I really enjoyed this read, it was well written with a gripping storyline and charcaters that I loved. This was totally compelling and really relatable as unfortuantely revenge porn is a more regular occurance in todays society than we like to admit. An enjoyable read.
August 26, 2022
Loved it from start to finish. The humour was on point, the everyday family life laid out perfectly, the characters and their interactions felt very real and emotions and relationships between characters were very relatable. What a great read.
September 24, 2022
A really interesting insight into Indian culture and it is beautifully written, however literally NOTHING happens in this book and I'm sorry to say it was so boring. I wanted so badly to love it but I just didn't
April 3, 2023
Helt okej. Trodde nog jag skulle bli mer investerad än jag blev, men den kändes platt på något vis. Kanske för att alla karaktärer var så kraftlösa, till och med de temperamentsfulla föräldrarna kändes tillplattade.
February 16, 2023
I don’t have enough words to describe the kind of emotions I felt. Loooved it!!!
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