Do The Right Thing

For Shyam and Chita, the lovers in this third novel by talented young Sri Lankan writer Shyama Perera, it is love at first click; after several passionate e-mails via Inderdates, they arrange to meet at Chita's home. The reality more than matches up to expectation - Chita is beautiful, Shyam handsome, and so begins a marriage made in Heaven. Or does it? Utterly besotted with each other, the newly-weds set themselves up as models of fidelity. This is a modern novel, so Chita and Shyam both have fulfilling careers, but in the early days of their wedded bliss, there are few problems combining the demands of home and work. With a charming naivety, they believe their love will endure simply because they want it to. Chita's colleagues find her allegiance to traditional domestic values strangely at odds with her high-profile business persona, but it is not until the flamboyant Sam Raven erupts into her life that Chita realizes what a battle she has on her hands. Sam is bewitched by her and determined to woo her from Shyam, using whatever devious tricks he can devise. Chita, however, knows what is right, and is adamant she will do the right thing for the sake of her marriage and because she adores Shyam. But as the snow falls on Aspen and she finds herself trapped with Sam at the mercy of the elements, will her resolve hold fast? Perera has dexterously reworked the traditional Indian epic of Rama and Sita, with Chita and Shyam in the starring roles. The extent to which she has interwoven the original poem with her modern version is only apparent at the end, and readers cannot help but admire the deftness of her touch. This may seem to be a light romantic novel, but the underlying sense of tragedy, as Chita tries vainly to cling on to everything she holds dear, results in a work of great poignancy and charm.