A review by em_beddedinbooks
Custody by Manju Kapur

4.0

Manju Kapur never fails to amaze. With her pincer grasp of Indian values and emotions, she can spin realistic tales of the Indian family life. This story dealt with the trauma of divorce: two individuals who are divorced by their spouses without any pertinent reason, the male counterpart having two children who are the pawns of vicious custody battle, and the female counterpart divorced because of her infertility. They end up married to each other, but have to face the aftermath of the bitter custody struggle for the man's children, especially the innocent, withdrawn female child, Ruhi. I was drawn into the story and finished it almost in 2-3 prolonged sittings, otherwise I would be obsessed by the characters and find it difficult to concentrate in my day to day life. It was a worthwhile read, but not a happy one. It left me with a dull ache in my head as well as my heart. I hate families splitting due to no apparent reason at all.