Incense and Sensibility (2021)
Dear, dear lord. Where do I even begin with this?
Okay, let me jumpstart this by saying that I did not absolutely hate the book. I had my problems with it, including a slight lag in the very last act which made the process of completing the novel more painful than necessary, but I found it not without its merits. At least, at the time.
What I'm trying to say is that every time I think of a "positive" about the book, my brain immediately jumps to its "negative" counterpart. For example, I really liked how the book was populated with interesting, headstrong female side characters — only to have all of them FAWNING over their brother, the male lead Yash. After a point, it stopped feeling like genuine admiration and more like... a build-up for the romantic lead. Which is not a bad thing, except it's definitely a lazy writing thing.
And then there's Yash himself. And his romantic interest, India. (Yash is Edward Ferrars, by the way, and India is Elinor) (I don't even want to get into what I felt after finding out that the yoga practitioner, adopted-by-a-half-Indian-mother-but-ethnically-Thai character was called India. And that her sister was called China. I don't want to say I was offended because I think that term has been over-used in our cultural lexicon, but I definitely felt a teeny tiny bit enraged. If that's allowed criticism, of course, of a diaspora author by an Indian Indian). Anyway. Yes, Yash and India. Who have no faults except that they are too good and pure and perfect for each other but circumstances yada yada yeah I'm already yawning. China (whose Willoughby was a South Korean actress, by the way) had the far more interesting storyline of homophobia in East Asia vs the absence of it in northern California. But it was pretty much sacrificed at the altar of... "you are too good for me" "no, YOU belong to the people. let me make this sacrifice". This might be a me thing, but how am I supposed to enjoy a romance novel when the lead pairing is just so BLAH????
Another grouse: Jane Austen was funny. Sense and Sensibility is a good comedy. But the laughs in Incense and Sensibility were unfortunately few and far between.
And another grouse: this book was casteist as fuck!!!! The Rajes come from "Indian nobility", and there are constant references to Yash fulfilling his "duty" and the thing that was "born to do" aka be a "good leader". Now there is one specific caste in Indian culture that's supposed to do all this (and usually fails at it, but we will get to that later). And then there is also a very convenient prophecy that their descendant, Yash Raje, could become the President of the United States?? I mean, it's never said so explicitly, but there was a very telling mention while introducing the Raje sister who saw this prophecy.
Will this very meh, 2-star rating/review stop me from reading other Sonali Dev's Jane Austen adaptations? Not yet. I still have some hopes (even if they are dubious).
Will this turn out to be my 2025 brainrot, or will I invent hate-reading through this series? Only time will tell.
Stay tuned!
