This is a debut novel for Sweta and I was so happy I had the chance to read it!! She is amazing and the concept of this book is so relevant right now. It is classified as being part of the #metoo movement -- but I think it is so much for than this!! I loved how this book features relationships we can all relate to.

Sweta Srivastava Vikram’s Louisiana Catch is unique and features important issues but is bogged down by choppy writing, a dragging plot, and inconsistent characters.

Our protagonist is Ahana, a wealthy New Delhi woman who is struggling after a painful divorce and the death of her beloved mother. She goes to America to coordinate a Women’s Conference to raise awareness about violence towards women. Ahana encounters two men who impact on her journey as she recovers from her dark past. She befriends the manipulative Jay in an online therapy group while her new colleague, the supposedly womanizing Rohan is more complex than she thinks. As her relationships with both men change and truths come to light, Ahana grows and learns to heal with the support of her family, friends, and work.

The book’s unique premise is interesting. Vikram’s portrayal of abuse, shame, and grief is moving. These important issues are not sanitized or romanticized but are very real. I like that the book features different and exciting locations. The book also has an in-depth look at Indian culture and avoids stereotyping India and Indian people. I especially like the representations of strong Indian women. This book provides an outlet for topical issues like sexual abuse and more importantly, these issues are portrayed from the perspective of an Indian woman. This blend of voices and experiences are usually underrepresented in literature. However, Ahana’s toxic view of most women is quite disturbing and is never sufficiently addressed.

While I sympathize with Ahana and her journey to discover her self-worth is fascinating, she is inconsistently written. Her trauma obviously affects her interactions but her behaviour is often implausible. I like the other characters, especially feisty cousin Naina. However, many of them also act inconsistently and implausibly.

While I enjoyed the descriptions of the places and food, the transitions in the book are choppy and need a lot of work. Furthermore, the writing can be didactic and the dialogue is often stiff. The action could be better organized. The plot drags and certain elements are extremely unbelievable while other things are dropped without development. Ahana’s interactions with her father are insufficiently developed and, after so much build-up, the situation with Jay is simply dropped.

Louisiana Catch is unique and moving but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. The plot drags and the characters often act implausibly. I really wanted to like this book because it has a fascinating premise but it is a little too inconsistent for me to fully embrace it. However, I do appreciate that this kind of story is told through the viewpoint of an Indian woman and I like the presentation of Indian lives and culture. While this is an okay one-time read, I really wish this book was better written because it highlights such important issues and is relevant to today’s happenings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Modern History Press for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Louisiana Catch is the story of a wealthy socialite from Delhi who marries the wrong man. He sadistically abuses her until she divorces him, but then there is the social stigma in Delhi to face of being a divorcee. Then there is a double blow, with the death of her mother and she breaks down. Ahana is a profoundly damaged individual.

She joins an online community to get help in rebuilding her self esteem and her life. The internet presents her with a new challenge through two new encounters. It will take a huge amount of self discovery for her not to repeat the mistakes of her past and not to push away the opportunity for a truly loving relationship on the one hand and not to get ensnared by a new type of abuser on the other.

Louisiana Catch becomes part detective tale, with Ahana becoming determined to track down the perpetrator of a new kind of online verbal predator. But does she really know what she is doing?

As an educated and wealthy woman, Ahana is in a position to do good in the world of causes. She is determined to lobby for those who are too browbeaten to fight back, on a worldwide platform.

This, however, is not the kind of feminist tract that is anti-male: this is a heady tale of romance too. This is a book whose message is simply anti abuse, including those (often women) who blame the woman for her predicament. It is also very life-affirming. The reader is regaled with details of fine, exotic meals and fine wines, as Ahana moved between two continents, sampling the best of the cuisines of both.

This also confronts the reality of an India where sexual harassment of women is endemic. In the States there is a growing awareness of how to recognise red flags for a serial abuser, so a self-help point of view, it's all good, this kind of publication.

Rich in culture with deeply intriguing characters, this is a story that touches on important social and cultural issues. A bit rambling at times, too wordy at others, still a decent read.