Published independently on Amazon Kindle, In a Time of Fools by Kelly Unger is a wonderful cross cultural romance novel with themes of veracity of love, family allegiance, moral choices, sacrifices, womanhood, etc. Backdropped against Bangalore and Madison, the story of the novel is placed among student fraternity. It features two lead characters: Lena and Aakash. The former is a resident of the States from Wisconsin, while the later one is from Bangalore, India.
They are in the same college and class, learning engineering related to music. Aakash has penchant for Indian Tabla while Lena has yet to do something big with violin. Narrated in two parts with a long cast of chapters, the novel fondly develops the characters with time and circumstances. Quite early in the story it becomes evident that Lena and Aakash like each other. Lena is bold and outspoken while Aakash is a shy handsome. Both characters are softly etched much opposite to their family history.
As with time, they grow close to each other, the author subtly highlights the lives of students congregated in and around college campus. Kelly has wonderfully woven a web of their struggles and idiosyncrasies. Aakash loves staying with Indian students while Lena confides in Tessa, her room partner.
Being away from home is a complex proposition for most of the students. They hang out, have fun, and party…but somewhere deep down the Indian students miss their families back in the country. The novel has a holistic approach for all communities, thus, making it a true cross-cultural novel. In snatches, it could be found that Indian students were seen hesitant to pay bills for beer and snacks, they are tied financially, and it pains their stance.
Much has been given on the students and their lives and nuisances in the college and in the apartments. The crux of the story is the difference between two countries’ people: Lena from the modern USA and Aakash from the conservative India.
Lena and Aakash needs to weigh out their love by marriage. However, a string of uncertainties and cultural fear make the novel unputdownable. It is worth noticing the differences that cause pain and frustration to lovers.
Lena and her family are outgoing and accept the Indian boy with no hesitation. On the other hand, Aakash is worried about his family’s views on Lena. They are conservative, not allowing him to fall for any foreign girl. How will he prove his worth for Lena? Situations spiral off his control when his father is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Will he comeback for Lena? Could Lena share the secret with him just in case he distances himself?
Kelly’s narrative power is scintillating. She draws in readers with time and patience, and once they are in, there is no exit without completing the book. Superb! Subtle! Terrific! In a Time of Fools by Kelly Unger is a fabulous show, backed by fantastic narration and exact knowledge of her subjects hailing from non-western cultural haven.
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Kelly Unger
Kelly Unger has loved to write from a young age and has stacks of vowel-anemic stories to prove it. As a child, her writing won her tickets to a Minnesota Twins baseball game and a heart-shaped Waterford crystal pen holder.
Kelly has traveled to six continents (still coming for you, Australia) and has lived as a foreign exchange student in Germany, a study-abroader in Austria, and an English teacher in China. She grew up in Minnesota and has spent most of her adulthood in the Madison, Wisconsin, area.
Kelly has a B.A. in English from the College of St. Benedict, where she received the Wagner-Berger Prize for Excellence in Creative Writing. Her writing has appeared in Studio One, Lower Stumpf Lake Review, RunMinnesota, Minnesota Running and Track, and other publications. She has also edited several books of history. In a Time of Fools is her first novel.