There's a neat contrast with the way that Freya's parents view Arjan. They ''want'' to do the right thing for their daughter's sake and you can forgive the wrong clothes at a funeral and pointing their feet at the Holy Book. If you don't know, you don't know - but I laughed out loud when Freya's father called him ''Tarzan''. That aside the prose is not just funny, it's also subtle. It reaches back to Sathnam Sanghera's background, so you'd expect the detail to be spot on but there's a very sharp, perceptive look at what it's like to be an Asian shopkeeper.
The story reaches effortlessly over several generations. I loved every moment of it. ''Marriage Material'' is shortlisted for the 2013 Costa First Novel Award and my fingers are very tightly crossed - this just might be my book of the year. From the same list we've also enjoyed [[Meeting the English by Kate Clanchy]]. You might also appreciate [[A Small Fortune by Rosie Dastgir]].
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