We all begin to remember life’s events around age 4-5 which is where Monsoon Diary picks up. From there, the author tells her tale of growing up in South India in vivid detail and an easy cadence. Readers of Ginger and Ganesh may recognize a similar pattern of storytelling in that each chapter is followed by a recipe which in some way personified a passage of time. Beyond that parallel, Monsoon Diary delivers a story which reads as if your best friend is sitting next to you recanting the highs and lows of childhood. Meticulous descriptions of family members are shared with observational whit alongside cunning descriptions of Indian life which westerners may struggle to understand without having seen the culture first hand.

No matter though. The author is keenly aware of her readership, thus taking a few extra steps to ensure we follow the newest escapade as she matures into a young woman. As the pages turn, Shoba moves from a young girl growing up in India to what may be a short term educational stint in the US. Humor ensues as she struggles to understand the American way of life. A return to India to regroup and plan a permanent residence in the US allows just enough time for her family to remind her of traditional Indian values. No longer a little girl, the author must now face her family and neighbor’s cries for marriage. As with her recipes, she’ll do it her way.

It took me several months to complete Monsoon Diary for no other reason then I didn’t want it to end. During that time I took a break from a relationship of 4 years, continued to write for Full Stop India, began organizing my 6th return to India, and ultimately finished reading this spry memoir while overnighting in the foothills of the Aravali Mountians. With no TV, no internet, no phone, and often times with no power, the final pages of the book were read as the sun rose in the sky. Sipping hot chai, the nearby natural spring flowed past in eager enthusiasm to get somewhere else. As the village around me began to wake up, I savored the last morsels of Shoba Narayan’s writing.

Monsoon Diary succeeds in telling a tale of India in a way that countless books fail before turning the first page. This book should be at the top of the list of any first time traveler to, or enthusiast of India. Read with a highlighter to mark follow up topics, gain new insight into how the Indian family works, how they view their own culture, and of course, which foods are preferred favorites.