For the Love of Apricots by Madhulika Liddle
Love in the orchard
Madhulika Liddle, cross-genre writer, creator of the splendid gumshoe of Mughal times, Muzzafar Jang, as well as of the ongoing Delhi Quartet series, goes off on an unexpected but sweet tangent with this book, a romance set in the Uttarakhand foothills.
Why apricots, specifically? Liddle tells us that according to Armenian legend, the Biblical flood destroyed all trees on earth but not the apricot, because Noah had taken it aboard his Ark, and planted it on firm earth when he came ashore after the flood.
The romance is straightforward and without any sharp edges, the personalities of the mature, self-assured protagonist Nandini Mathur, entrepreneur extraordinaire, and the slightly younger object of her affection, Vikas Joshi, delineated so well, it takes a while for the reader to realise the physiognomic features of the two have been left to be filled in by them!
After the requisite meet-cute with its share of awkwardness, the pace of the story as well as the pace of the courtship gentles. Love comes quickly but not suddenly to the two of them. There`s dollops of details about Vikas` apricot orchard and Nandini`s pickle-making factory where, aided by a small band of local women, she experiments with amla, green apple, lime, garlic, while occasionally indulging in the luxury of making apricot jam for herself (`jam in which the fruit sang loud and clear`); the reader is, of course, privy to both the process, which is so dependent on the local weather, and the happy end result. The little character sketches of some locals like Shalu, her husband Jagdish, her toddler Munnu, Madhav down at the orchard, Chanda and Sangeeta, Nandini`s father the ardent bird-watcher Mr Mathur of Buransh Cottage, right down to the wholly absent Negi Sahib, ring true, are interesting… and amusing, when one realises just how adeptly a village can get together to do some subtle match-making.
The author`s descriptive style complements the tale beautifully. Sample this: “…wherever you looked, there was green. Green in a million shades. The deep, dense green of the deodhars; the glossy green of the rhododendrons, the two-tones green of the oak. The brighter, lighter greens of the shrubs and bushes and wild plants. Teal, jade, olive, mint, apple, pistachio, grass, lime. And every hue in between. Shifting shades under the bright sunlight of the morning and the more muted light of the afternoon.“
Apart from fruits, books make their appearance too, since both Nandini and Vikas are readers, collectors, book enthusiasts. The author has infused the story with the crisp, cold air, the bright sunshine and flowers of the mountainside. And just below the even flow of the tale, there is the burr of small insecurities, of doubts, of a less than perfect relationship with one`s parent.
A special shout-out to Radha Ramachandran and Maithili Doshi Aphale for the delectable cover illustration and cover design, respectively. If ever a book jacket softly but insistently said, pick me up….
For the Love of Apricots is a light, easy, enjoyable read.
For the Love of Apricots by Madhulika Liddle. Speaking Tiger Books. 219 pages. Rs 399.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2025/Mar/09/book-review-for-the-love-of-apricots
This appeared in the New Sunday Express Magazine of 9 March 2025.
Related Links:
Book review: Destination Wedding by Diksha Basu
Book review: Girls and the City by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar
No Strings Attached by Sheila Kumar:
https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2017/Jul/22/love-and-newsprint-sheila-kumars-no-strings-attached–reviewed-1631373.html
Our Start-up Affair by Sheila Kumar:
https://www.deccanherald.com/features/book-review-our-start-up-affair-by-sheila-kumar-725981.html
Sheila Kumar • March 9, 2025