G986 Book Review of Louisiana Catch by Sweta Srivastava Vikram

Name of Book: Louisiana Catch

Author: Sweta Srivastava Vikram

ISBN: 978-1-61599-352-9

Publisher:Modern History Press

Type of book: India, New Delhi, abuse, relationships, divorced women, New York, Louisiana, catfish, friendships, modern times, conference, hidden strengths

Year it was published: 2018

Summary:

A grieving daughter and abuse survivor must summon the courage to run a feminist conference, trust a man she meets over the Internet, and escape a catfishing stalker to find her power.

Ahana, a wealthy thirty-three-year-old New Delhi woman, flees the pain of her mother's death, and her dark past, by accepting a huge project in New Orleans, where she'll coordinate an annual conference to raise awareness of violence against women. Her half-Indian, half-Irish colleague and public relations guru, Rohan Brady, who helps Ahana develop her online presence, offends her prim sensibilities with his raunchy humor. She is convinced that he's a womanizer.

Meanwhile, she seeks relief from her pain in an online support group, where she makes a good friend: the mercurial Jay Dubois, who is also grieving the loss of his mother. Louisiana Catch is an emotionally immersive novel about identity, shame, and who we project ourselves to be in the world. It's a book about Ahana's unreliable instincts and her ongoing battle to deter�mine whom to place her trust in as she, Rohan, and Jay shed layers of their identities.

Characters:

Main characters include Ahana Chopra who seems to struggle with trying to heal and move on from her abusive marriage as well as death of her beloved mother. Ahana is obsessed with yoga and is best described as a prickly young woman. Ahana tries to use the pain she has went through for good rather than just being a bystander, and she also struggles with the fact that her mother protected her a lot and often blames that situation for not helping her recognize bad situations. Jay Dubois is a very mercurial member of the online therapy group who blows hot one minute and cold another. Rohan Brady is Ahana's colleague and love intrest and Ahana often thinks of him as a playboy due to his profile. Naina is Ahana's cousin although both see one another as sisters and she is a psychologist who tries to do what she can for Ahana. Josh Rossi is Naina's fiance who works as a police officer.

Theme:

Abuse runs deep

Plot:

The story is told in first person narrative from Ahana's point of view. While the characters and possible romance interests as well as various family relationships are are the strongest points in the book, I feel that the author should have added more details about New Delhi  or about New York for that matter because the places don't really feel alive.

Author Information:
(From Poetic Book Tours)



About the Author:

Sweta Srivastava Vikram is a best-selling author of 11 books, a wellness columnist, and a mindfulness writing coach. Featured by Asian Fusion as “one of the most influential Asians of our time,” Sweta writes about women, multiculturalism, and identity. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and other publications across nice countries and three continents. Louisiana Catch (Modern History Press 2018) is her debut U.S. novel. Born in India, Sweta grew up between the Indian Himalayas, Northern Africa, and the United States collecting and sharing stories. Exposure to this vast societal spectrum inspired her to become an advocate for social issues and also to get certified as a Holistic Health Counselor. In this avatar, Sweta is the CEO-Founder of NimmiLife through which she helps people elevate their productivity and creativity using Ayurveda and yoga. A certified yoga teacher, Sweta also teaches yoga and mindfulness to female survivors of rape and domestic violence. She lives with her husband in New York City.

Add to GoodReads:

Available on Amazon.

Opinion:

There are plenty of things I enjoyed about Louisiana Catch; one is the chemistry between the two leads and how love isn't rushed but is slowly gained as time passes; I also felt that the characters are the strongest elements in the story and women both can understand and relate to Ahana Chopra. I also enjoyed the topics and the issues that the book has brought up, especially how the damage from abuse is more than skin-deep, and how abusers can be found at what seems to be every level of society. While the book inspires and gives courage to those who have found themselves within the deplorable situation, I do feel that a number of things weren't explained as well as I had hoped; for one thing I had trouble comprehending Jay's messages, for another although the main character shares love for Louisiana, most of the story takes place in New York, and I feel that the story does need a little work on some of the dialogue or word choices.

This is for Poetic Book Tours

Blog Tour Schedule:

March 8: Button-Eyed Reader (Spotlight/Giveaway)
March 14: Soapy Violinist (Review)
March 22: the bookworm (Review)
March 28: Diary of an Eccentric (Guest Post/Giveaway)
April 10: Svetlana Reads & Views (Review)
April 25: Suko’s Notebook (Review)
April 27: Life’s A Stage (Review)
April 28: Drunk On Pop (Review)
May 6: Books From Dusk Till Dawn (Review)
May 8: Where the Reader Grows (Spotlight)
TBD: Modern Creative Life (Interview)
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)