Pride, Prejudice, And Other Flavors is a melting pot of love, acceptance and growth

Sonali Dev’s Pride, Prejudice, And Other Flavors is a romance, yes, but more importantly, a telling of two individuals truly finding themselves.

Pride, Prejudice, And Other Flavors is plain and simple the Jane Austen novel any brown girl today would cherish having on their bookshelf.

While most everyone who reads Sonali Dev’s work will enjoy it, there will be special significance for those who know and live the culture she’s captured so beautifully. As an Iranian American myself, my heart often swelled with joy or ached in pain as I followed protagonist Trisha Raje’s story. Too often have I and others like me lived that complex story of wanting to grow and be an individual, but also find a way to make one’s family proud — especially if you’re first-generation. I can only imagine what this story will offer to all who read — for those who’d love an inside look at an Indian American family, and those who live this every day and have yearned for their story to be old.

Now, the story itself flips Jane Austen’s model, which could be the first bit of intrigue for any reader.

Our female lead is a first-gen Indian American neurosurgeon plus a descendant of Indian Royalty. And somehow she is still trying to make her family proud — the one mark against her is she unwittingly endangered her older brother’s political prospects. As for Trisha’s eventual love interest, DJ Caine? Born in the U.K. to Anglo-Indian and Rwandan parents, and now a chef in San Francisco, DJ is seen as lower class to Trisha.

When their worlds collide, we’re given an emotional rollercoaster that is filled with both sweetness and spice — emphasis on the spice, because these two clash constantly.

Trisha and DJ are immediately at odds with each other because of how they grew up. Trisha is extremely privileged, and DJ battled poverty and racism as a child, turning to cooking as an escape. Eventually, these two force each other to examine who they are and the biases they’ve stuck to. Much like a complex recipe, it takes time for ingredients to blend together to create a harmonious dish.

One aspect of this novel that extends further than Austen’s original ever did — specifically because of the cultures presented — is that we’re not just witnessing a love story. There are valuable discussions of race and class, family traditions and modern decisions.

And for that, Pride, Prejudice, And Other Flavors leaves this reader craving a sequel.

Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors is on sale now.