LIFE ISN'T ALL HA HA HEE HEE by MEERA SYAL

Growing up in London three Indian origin girls try to cope with a traditional family background and also maintaining their modernity and independence which they successfully do. Three very different girls cope with friendship, family, marriage and relationships in very different ways. Though its about Tania, Sunita and Chila in general, it focuses on Chila the most and how her life affects the other two even though everyone is now grown up and adult.

At the very beginning Sunita and Tania are the strong ones who always protect Chila. She is the one who needs protection from the harsh world around them. With Chila's marriage a change comes over all three and with her marriage break up comes the strengthening of the relationship between the three women despite the fact that one of them was in some way the cause for the break up of the marriage. 

This was an easy read. Being Asian I was able to identify with some of the characteristics of the families - the fear almost that mothers have that their daughters are going to remain unmarried! though thank God this is now a distant memory in my part of the world but I do remember older people talk disparagingly of some family or the other with unmarried daughters, or those who put their parents in a home - keeping them in their own home and being cruel to them and using them as unpaid babysitters and caretakers and cooks was better than putting them somewhere they would be looked after well and with plenty of time to rest, sleep or do whatever they want. The funny prejudices of the old ways have now all but gone but we do remember them. 

I watched the TV serialization of this book and enjoyed it too. 

Still doing last minute packing and trying to squeeze in just one item more. Very Sri Lankan in that respect - taking everything I possibly could. I doubt very much that I will be ever able to travel without being way above the baggage limits!