Highlights:

Title: The Misfit

Author: Swati Pareek

Genre: Romance, Coming-of-age

Divya Singhani is a plus-size 25-year-old who grows up devoid of motherly affection. Her businessman father has no time for her and her indifferent step-mother misses no opportunity to ridicule her. Just when she thinks she has met the love of her life, doubts creep between friends and her life crumbles down. How Divya moves to New York determinedly to overcome these hurdles and emerges victorious in all aspects of life is what the delightful book all about.

Excerpt:

“I would convince myself that the people who placed importance on looks were as bad as the ones promoting a photoshopped image. I was pretty sure people who would love my inner self over the body I was in existed.

And today was the day I was continually proved wrong in almost every instance. I have received many proposals in my life, more so, because everyone knew I was the daughter of a rich businessman. But I had enough IQ to turn them down. But today, I had given my heart. I could only recall the smirk on my stepmother’s face when she knew I was going. I couldn’t let her get that easy victory. I had promised my father that I would not change, but I thought it was time I transformed myself. With that determination, I finished my packing, with an unwavering resolute to start afresh.”

Why we love it?

Swati Pareek’s ‘The Misfit’ is a delightful coming-of-age tale of a young woman named Divya. We can relate to the character a lot. We have all been considered a misfit by even our near and dear ones in some way. Sometimes, we do not feel like we belong in our group of friends or family. Divya is just like one of us. Overweight, anxiety issues, relationship problems weigh Divya down. On top of that, her passion for photography does not go too well with her parents. Having lost her mother at the age of four, she grows up under the care of her indifferent stepmother who is keen on sending her to a boarding school when she gives birth to a girl herself. Her businessman father fails to see through how his second wife has taken control of his family. Even his mother is sent off to New York to live with his brother’s family. The only refuge in Divya’s life are her two friends, the good-looking Tanya who is working towards becoming a successful model and the enthusiastic Monty, who is fighting his own battles considering his homosexuality but nevertheless manages to cheer his friends.

Enter the good-looking Adithya Kapoor, who Divya falls for at first sight. Divya later realizes that his charming face is a masquerade to hide his chauvinistic male ego as he breaks her heart, creates doubts in her friendship with Tanya and breaks her father’s trust on her. Determined to move on, she makes a choice to move to New York to start a new life where her grandmother excitedly waits. As Divya focuses on her fitness, a new relationship blossoms, friends reunite and her life comes full circle. The book keeps you engaged throughout like an entertaining Bollywood movie.

You will love it if: you love movies like Lady Bird, Dear Zindagi, Wake Up Sid, Noor; series like Gilmore Girls and books like Mosquitoland by David Arnold, How to build a girl by Caitlin Moran and Upto this Pointe by Jennifer Longo

If you would like to buy the Misfit, you can buy it on Amazon or the Notion Press bookstore.