I had never read anything by Twinkle Khanna until Welcome to Paradise. Having watched her interviews, I always knew that she had a sharp wit and a fantastic humour laced with sarcasm. In Welcome to Paradise, you do see her quirky writing style peppered with clever and humourous dialogues but there’s also an amount of seriousness to her characters. She has undoubtedly balanced it well.

Welcome to Paradise has five different stories that explores human nature and their relationships with those around them. In one story, we see a daughter coming to terms with her mother’s death all the while trying to get hold of her brother. There’s a past of addiction, violence and general disagreements. In the next, a mother struggles with her son’s untimely death. But my favourite of all was that of an octogenarian who writes a letter to the govt asking them to approve her request to end her life because there’s not much left for her to see. The stories are simply written but they carry an undercurrent of sadness.

The famous wit of the author pops up now and then but this book is ultimately a serious one. Handling topics like violence, death and infidelity, she manages to talk about complex human relationships. Her way of writing is very nuanced and breezy, making this a good one time read. You can finish it in two sittings over the weekend and it also works as something that can get you out of a slump. Although I did enjoy it, I wasn’t completely blown away. However, I will certainly read more by the author.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing the review copy.