Contracted Together, a young adult romance novel, is a step (or two!) out of my usual range of reading; I encountered the novel via a Facebook group that runs regular reviews of independently published or self-published writing.
The novel revolves around a pair of ill-fated marriage partners. The term “lover” would be a stretch here, since Zavian and Mona’s union is premised on a legal arrangement, a contract lasting for a year, during which Mona agrees to play Zavian’s wife in public, with none of the private affection, sexual expectations, or even, friendship. This is a spin on the classic Hate to Love trope. Indeed, Zavian finds his bride — in his words — “annoying” even as he betrays a softness for those same characteristics. The pair’s relationship — strained though it already is — is beset by a strange set of circumstances: estranged parents, exes, their own proclivities towards workaholism or romanticism, expectations of the other. I will leave it to the reader to discover the end results and what happens to Zavian and Mona.
Out of a total possible 5 stars, my overall rating is ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My review of Contracted Together is mixed; on one hand, given Dhanota’s biography and stated intentions of the novel and their writing (as a whole), there is much I was left wanting. Yet, on the other hand, the novel has great promise and delivers on a number of other points.
The novel has been well-edited and is grammatically sound. Dhanota’s writing is technically very good, and the language and vocabulary chosen is suitable for its stated audience. The novel’s premise is also attractive. It opens with an immediate hook, framing Zavian’s life and relationship to his family in an unusual light; the premise of a contract marriage is also a successful lure.
The novel possesses a great deal of promise. However, the substance of the novel does not deliver. The novel’s detractions, in spite of the above positives, dulled the experience of reading it for me.
The novel, even as a Young Adult work of fiction, runs towards the superficial. Its main characters need deeper development. For example, Mona’s requirements of Zavian are shallow, and her motivations behind agreeing to a contract are unclear, leaving the reader incapable of understanding what Mona hopes to gain from this connection. Moreover, the absence of her own family and their opinions on her decision to agree to this contract is a noticeable gap in the story’s logic.
Some of this superficiality is conveyed to the reader through the characters’ dialogues, which lack individuality. Zavian’s narrative voice is too similar to Mona’s. Their conversations also, lacked depth, sounding more like teenagers’ casual conversation than that between two young adults (one being a CEO and the other a Kindergarten teacher). Zavian and Mona are petty in their arguments, their concerns betray a fundamental immaturity that readers may expect young adults to possess, or at least, be in the process of developing. The character’s narratives lacked interiority, and a sense of the character’s awareness of self. Ultimately, this surface-level characterization of Mona and Zavian failed to convey what was really happening in their hearts and minds, and dampened the romantic tension that would have made the hate-to-love trope here more successful.
Dhanota’s intent (as stated in their biography at the end of the novel) is to bring Indian culture to the fore, to examine and challenge Indian practices and societal norms; however, the novel itself does not provide context or direct allusions to those norms and societal expectations. The novel would have benefited from an inclusion of these ideas and Indian culture, not as a separate section, but woven into the fabric of the novel itself. Such descriptions would also have added more texture and individuality to the novel as a whole, as a uniquely Indian romance.
Readers who would like to read the novel for themselves, and draw their own conclusions, can find it on Amazon here where it is currently priced at $16.99 for the paperback and $4.55 for the Kindle ebook. It is also available via Kindle Unlimited.
Dr JoAnn LoSavio 