Second Chances

Madhulika Liddle’s new book For the Love of Apricots is a feel-good romance novel set in the hills of Uttarakhand. Nandini runs a pickle-making business, and Vikas owns an apricot orchard. As luck would have it, their paths cross in the unhurried Himalayan landscape of Muktheshwar but this is not a case of love at first sight. It seems that, having loved and lost, they have grown too used to being single. She is a divorcee, while he is a widower.

The plot is fairly predictable but that does not hamper one’s enjoyment while reading. Liddle does a fantastic job of illuminating the dance of emotions inside these reluctant lovers. Nandini is cautious about mistaking a man’s friendliness for something more. She cannot wrap her head around the fact that she could be seen as desirable. Vikas is drawn to her but also finds her a bit intimidating. He wants to express affection and respect boundaries.

There is much pleasure to be derived from Liddle’s sensuous descriptions in this heartwarming novel that relies so heavily on cooking and feeding as the primary love language between two adults who are learning to be friends. The author writes, “The jam was ethereal…as if someone had infused all that went into the apricots—the warmth of the sunshine, the sweet water of the hills, the gentleness of the wind—into the jam.”

It is this jar of apricot jam that plays cupid, as is obvious from the front cover and the description on the back cover, but the identity of the person who makes the jam is not revealed until the end. There is something utterly charming about their sweet, old-fashioned courtship with long walks, meals that go on forever, and deep thoughtful conversations.

However, their equation is far from hunky-dory. They make inaccurate assumptions about each other. They give in to jealousy. They say things that trigger unexpected responses. Liddle has thrown in all the drama required to entice readers who may not be as excited about the conversations on gardening, composting and manure that would appeal to other readers.

The book has, for instance, a gorgeous paragraph about hydrangea, which is called “the litmus paper of the floral world”. An old uncle, we are told, had once shown Vikas “how the alkalinity of the soil governed the colour of the flowers a hydrangea produced: the more acidic the soil, the bluer the flowers.”

While they share a love of nature, Nandini is 40 years old while Vikas is only 32. This is a non-issue for him. She, on the other hand, is certain that he would want someone closer to his age. Her vulnerability in this matter makes her well-rounded as a character who is otherwise quite self-assured. Vikas too is vulnerable but in a different sort of way. He is a little too afraid of inviting her ire.

In the acknowledgements section of the book, Liddle reveals that the character of Vikas is based on her husband, whereas Nandini is modelled after her. Whether the events unfolding within the novel really took place or not is immaterial though. What is worth appreciating is the fact that the author was able to draw inspiration from her own life, and churn out a novel that is finely crafted, emotionally engaging, and has characters whose happiness one roots for.

Apart from the hero and the heroine, the novel has a supporting cast made up of Nandini’s retired father who used to work in the forest department as well as the women who work with Nandini and the men who work for Vikas. They help move the story forward and reveal other aspects of Vikas and Nandini’s personalities.

On the whole, this is a delightful novel that could heal a broken heart, rescue a bookworm from a reading slump, or simply ease a frustrating commute.

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