The Bollywood Beauty

Book excerpt: The culture-clash showdown between the bold and the dutiful Kesh: born and bred in Australia, drinks at the pub, studies feminist theory. Considers herself NRI – 'Not Really Indian'. Rupa: born and bred in Fiji, scared to leave the house, makes own roti. A full-bloom 'Bollywood Beauty'. They found it hard enough to get along as kids, but when a grown-up Rupa comes to Melbourne to stay with her cousin Kesh, it's a complete culture-clash. As Kesh and Rupa's worlds collide, they each hurtle toward answering the same question – are we ever truly what we seem? In this delicious and highly spiced novel, Shalini Akhil dishes up tears, laughter, music and food, with a truly scary dinner dance thrown in. If you've ever found yourself caught between your cultural background and a hard place, this is the read for you. "... a universally appealing novel about identity, flawed families and the struggle to be yourself ... " – The Age