Book Name: Maidless In Mumbai
Author: Payal Kapadia
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Book Blurb: Career-driven reporter Anu Narain has a plan for everything till motherhood comes along. The baby poops/cries/pisses/ feeds round the clock. Anu loses her mind/ the plot/ the maid. And cabin fever strikes when her mother-in-law and her mother come over to help …
How does Anu become a working mom when her husband is happy playing the shirking dad? And when her house is a railway station where every maid is a passing train? Will Anu use wile and guile to make the maids stay and The Moms leave? Or will she succumb to that strange Indian malaise called maidomania?
Hysterically funny, unapologetically honest, and charming all the way, this is the diary of a maidless Mumbai mom who dreams of only one thing-the perfect maid to live happily forever with.
Review: Payal Kapadia’s brilliant tongue in cheek book about finding the elusive perfect maid makes for a hilarious read.
The book is about a working woman, Anu who tries to find that perfect maid that would look after her household chores. However, the task is not so easy and the ensuing search results in comic situations. The maids in metro cities come with a set of demands of their own.
Payal has a strong command over language and never falters. This book is perfect for a lazy evening over a cup of coffee.
“The noble enterprise of befriending maids if fraught with danger. Especially when they’re someone else’s. If one’s friendly overtures appear calculated and rushed, instead of natural and relaxed, one is likely to be mistaken for a psycho. Which I am not.”
Maidless In Mumbai is written in a diary like format, in a racy manner but has its moments. The contrast between Anu and the maids, both working women is highlighted very well. While the modern woman wants liberty for herself and is offered perks at her office, the same is not reserved for the maids.
This is one book that any person living in a metro city would identify with. The book is set in contemporary India and with its liberal doses of humour, does not disappoint.
Read on to find out if Anu finds the ideal maid. You could also learn a trick or two if you have been experiencing trouble with maids.