For Matrimonial Purposes

Anju wants a husband. Equally important, her entire family wants Anju to have a husband. Her life in Bombay, where a marriage can be arranged in a matter of hours, is almost solely devoted to this quest, as her anxious mother drags her from the matchmaker to the fortune- teller to the holy men who might be able to make it happen. As Anju's twenties slip away, she's fast becoming a spinster her culture's standards.

Only then is she able to persuade her parents to allow her to move to New York, where, she hopes, she will not be viewed as a failure. Making a new life, alone, will be hard, but if the stars align, she may even find love--on her own terms.