.gif)
Trust Me (novel)
Encyclopedia
Trust Me is the biggest-selling Indian chick lit
novel. Written by Rajashree
, it is set in Bollywood
, the Bombay film industry and uses the narrative structure of a 'masala' Bollywood film.
Parvati quits her job, and joins the unit of Jambuwant (‘Call me Jumbo!’) Sinha, assisting him in making his latest Hindi feature film. ‘Jumbo’ is a Bombay film-maker archetype: he believes in white shoes, black money and the casting couch. Manoj, the chief assistant, makes a pass at every woman he meets because he doesn’t want anybody to feel unwanted. And Rahul, an actor, claims to have fallen in love with her.
Parvati hopes she is older now, and smarter - but perhaps not smart enough, because, very inconveniently, she finds herself liking Rahul far too much.
, editor, Tatler
, and former literary editor, Sunday Times called Trust Me ‘a most enjoyable read.’ Kiran Nagarkar
, author, Cuckold
, said, 'Rajashree... has a genuine comic talent.’ Michele Roberts
, author and former Man Booker judge, said about the book, ‘A feminist romance set in the Bombay film industry. Terrific story. Loved the humour.’
The book was received enthusiastically by magazines like Femina
who said, ‘Looking for an exciting chick-lit book with a twist? Then you simply will not be able to resist Trust Me by Rajashree
.’ Marie Claire
said, ‘In this lighthearted debut, Rajashree balances comic and sad moods perfectly. A fun read!’ Cosmopolitan
said, 'A weekend must-read for every chick-lit lover. Go get it!'
The book sold 25,000 copies in the first month after its release. Its popularity can be seen in the context of the rise of regional varieties of chick-lit. Sometimes referred to as 'ladki-lit', Indian chick-lit seems to be coming of age.
In an interview to the New York Times, Helen Fielding
said, 'I think it had far more to do with zeitgeist than imitation.' If the chick lit explosion has 'led to great new female writers emerging from Eastern Europe and India, then it's worth any number of feeble bandwagon jumpers.' Sunaina Kumar wrote in the Indian Express, 'Ten years after the publication of Bridget Jones's Diary
, the genre of fiction most recognisable for its pink cover art of stilettos, martini glasses and lipsticks, is now being colourfully infused with bindis, saris, and bangles. '
Indian chick lit
"Indian chick lit" is the Indian sub-genre of chick lit, a genre of fiction written for and marketed to young women, especially single, working women in their twenties and thirties...
novel. Written by Rajashree
Rajashree
Rajashree is an Indian novelist and film-maker. She has been working in the Bombay film industry after studying film direction at the Film and Television Institute of India. She has written and directed a film, The Rebel, which won a National Award and was screened at many film festivals. She has...
, it is set in Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
, the Bombay film industry and uses the narrative structure of a 'masala' Bollywood film.
Explanation of the novel's title
The title of Trust Me comes from an old joke that is quoted in the novel:‘You didn’t let me open your hand in the beginning, and even when you did, you opened it very slowly – that shows that you don’t trust easily,’ he said. ‘You’re too closed as a person. Open up, you’ll enjoy life more.’
I took my hand back from him and lit a cigarette.
‘Do you know what “trust me” means in Polish?’ I asked.
He shook his head.
‘What?’
“‘Fuck you.’”
He laughed. I smiled.
‘So, when a guy says “trust me”,’ I said to him, ‘a warning bell rings in my head.’
He made a face. ‘Why are you so hard, so defensive?’
‘Have to be, living in Bombay, alone.’
Plot summary
Set against the backdrop of the Hindi film industry, Trust Me is a comic story about love, heart-break and friendship. The protagonist, Parvati, decides to go off men when she is dumped by her boyfriend. She concludes that her girlfriends are right: all men are bastards. Her boss, the fatherly Mr Bose, is the one shoulder she can cry on. He is also the one man she never expects a pass from. She stands corrected: all men ARE bastards. Her girlfriends manage to keep their I-told-you-so’s to themselves.Parvati quits her job, and joins the unit of Jambuwant (‘Call me Jumbo!’) Sinha, assisting him in making his latest Hindi feature film. ‘Jumbo’ is a Bombay film-maker archetype: he believes in white shoes, black money and the casting couch. Manoj, the chief assistant, makes a pass at every woman he meets because he doesn’t want anybody to feel unwanted. And Rahul, an actor, claims to have fallen in love with her.
Parvati hopes she is older now, and smarter - but perhaps not smart enough, because, very inconveniently, she finds herself liking Rahul far too much.
Literary significance and reception
Geordie GreigGeordie Greig
Geordie Greig is a British journalist and newspaper editor. He is the editor of the Evening Standard newspaper. He attended Eton College and St Peter's College, Oxford.-Journalism career:...
, editor, Tatler
Tatler
Tatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications...
, and former literary editor, Sunday Times called Trust Me ‘a most enjoyable read.’ Kiran Nagarkar
Kiran Nagarkar
Kiran Nagarkar is an Indian novelist, playwright, film and drama critic and screenwriter both in Marathi and English, and is one of the most significant writers of postcolonial India....
, author, Cuckold
Cuckold
Cuckold is a historically derogatory term for a man who has an unfaithful wife. The word, which has been in recorded use since the 13th century, derives from the cuckoo bird, some varieties of which lay their eggs in other birds' nests...
, said, 'Rajashree... has a genuine comic talent.’ Michele Roberts
Michèle Roberts
Michèle Brigitte Roberts is a British writer, novelist and poet. Roberts was the daughter of a French Catholic teacher mother and English Protestant father ; she has dual UK-France nationality.-Early life:She was raised in Edgware, Middlesex and educated at a convent, expecting to become a nun,...
, author and former Man Booker judge, said about the book, ‘A feminist romance set in the Bombay film industry. Terrific story. Loved the humour.’
The book was received enthusiastically by magazines like Femina
Femina
Femina is a Latin noun meaning 'woman'.It is the title of five magazines:*Femina , a fortnightly women's magazine owned by the Times Group and published in India since July 1959*Femina , the first women's magazine in Indonesia...
who said, ‘Looking for an exciting chick-lit book with a twist? Then you simply will not be able to resist Trust Me by Rajashree
Rajashree
Rajashree is an Indian novelist and film-maker. She has been working in the Bombay film industry after studying film direction at the Film and Television Institute of India. She has written and directed a film, The Rebel, which won a National Award and was screened at many film festivals. She has...
.’ Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
said, ‘In this lighthearted debut, Rajashree balances comic and sad moods perfectly. A fun read!’ Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
said, 'A weekend must-read for every chick-lit lover. Go get it!'
The book sold 25,000 copies in the first month after its release. Its popularity can be seen in the context of the rise of regional varieties of chick-lit. Sometimes referred to as 'ladki-lit', Indian chick-lit seems to be coming of age.
In an interview to the New York Times, Helen Fielding
Helen Fielding
Helen Fielding is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, a sequence of novels and films that chronicle the life of a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life and love.Her novels Bridget Jones's...
said, 'I think it had far more to do with zeitgeist than imitation.' If the chick lit explosion has 'led to great new female writers emerging from Eastern Europe and India, then it's worth any number of feeble bandwagon jumpers.' Sunaina Kumar wrote in the Indian Express, 'Ten years after the publication of Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 1996 novel by Helen Fielding. Written in the form of a personal diary, the novel chronicles a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a thirty-something single working woman living in London. She writes about her career, self-image, vices, family, friends, and romantic...
, the genre of fiction most recognisable for its pink cover art of stilettos, martini glasses and lipsticks, is now being colourfully infused with bindis, saris, and bangles. '