“Pyjamas are forgiving in nature, its jeans that really know how to hold a grudge”
Twinkle Khanna’s Sunday columns have been part of my weekly routine for a couple of years now, which is when I was completely drawn to her witty style of writing. I love how she portrays her very opinionated thoughts through her sense of humor; the reason why I enjoyed “Mrs. Funnybones” so much. When I saw “Pyjamas are Forgiving” on Amazon I pre-ordered it almost immediately. A title like that with its premise set in an Ayurvedic Spa, how can you not be intrigued.
Anshu, in her mid-40s, divorced, is back at the Shanthamaaya Sthalam, an Ayurvedic spa in Kerala. Where everyone floats around in white kurta pyjamas like ghosts and follow a rigorous daily routine of yoga and meditation sessions, and a simple diet that involves of a whole lot of ghee. As she starts settling in, Anshu meets the other guests, coming from all parts of country, the globe. Amongst her newfound acquaintances, to her surprise, she meets her ex-husband, Jay with his very young new wife.
As these friendships grow and survive the course of the “cleanse”, it also keeps bringing Anshu and Jay with of course the new wife, Shalini together. As their interactions increase, they can’t help but fall back with their familiarities, almost like two lost pieces of a jigsaw. The banter between the Anshu and Shailini is comically written. These characters Khanna has created have their own unique personalities, bringing in their own quirkiness to the narrative that centered on Anshu.
We also get a glimpse of Anshu’s family through the phone conversations she has with her sister and mother that occasionally cracked my up or brought a smile to my face! Felt very plausible they were drawn from her own relationship with her sister and mother.
Pyjamas are Forgiving is an easy and engaging read. As predictable it may have seemed half way through, the plot takes a quick diversion. The unexpected turns that came in did take me by surprise, but it also made me want to keep reading further.
I’ll be honest; I did enjoy the story and the writing, though not as much as I have in her previous books. From essays to short stories and now a whole novel, Twinkle Khanna’s candid and honest style of writing has stayed the same, which I loved. She has the knack to keep you engrossed enough to not want to stop reading mid-way. Definitely looking forward to more stories by her, because there’s a lot more where this came from!