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Lousiana Catch by Sweta Sirvastava Vikram

A grieving daughter and abuse survivor must summon the courage to run a feminist conference, trust a man she meets over the Internet, and escape a catfishing stalker to find her power.

Ahana, a wealthy thirty-three-year-old New Delhi woman, flees the pain of her mother’s death, and her dark past, by accepting a huge project in New Orleans, where she’ll coordinate an annual conference to raise awareness of violence against women. Her half-Indian, half-Irish colleague and public relations guru, Rohan Brady, who helps Ahana develop her online presence, offends her prim sensibilities with his raunchy humor. She is convinced that he’s a womanizer.

Meanwhile, she seeks relief from her pain in an online support group, where she makes a good friend: the mercurial Jay Dubois, who is also grieving the loss of his mother. Louisiana Catch is an emotionally immersive novel about identity, shame, and who we project ourselves to be in the world. It’s a book about Ahana’s unreliable instincts and her ongoing battle to determine whom to place her trust in as she, Rohan, and Jay shed layers of their identities.

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“Louisiana Catch is a triumph. In Ahana, Sweta Vikram has created an unforgettable character, strong, wise, and deeply human, who’ll inspire a new generation struggling to come to terms with their identity in a world of blurring identities.”
–KARAN BAJAJ, New York Times bestselling author, The Yoga of Max’s Discontent

“In Louisiana Catch, Sweta Vikram brings life to the complex human rights issue of violence against women. Through one woman’s journey to make sense of her past and ultimately heal, Vikram shows us that yoga can reconnect us to ourselves, and that by empowering others, we transform our own lives.”
–ZOE LEPAGE, Founder, Exhale to Inhale

“Louisiana Catch perfectly captures what it means to be human in a digital world, where support groups meet online, love interests flirt on Twitter, and people get confused with personas. Equal parts tender and playful, moving and hopeful, Vikram’s prose connects us with timeless truths about grief and redemption in a satisfyingly modern way.”
–STEPHANIE PATERIK, Managing Editor, Adweek

Author’s Bio

Sweta Srivastava Vikram (www.swetavikram.com), featured by Asian Fusion as “one of the most influential Asians of our time,” is an award-winning writer, five-time Pushcart Prize nominee, Amazon bestselling author of 11 books, writing coach, columnist, marketing consultant, and wellness practitioner who currently lives in New York City. She teaches the power of yoga, Ayurveda, & mindful living to female trauma survivors, creative types, entrepreneurs, and business professionals. She is also the CEO-Founder of NimmiLife, which helps you achieve your goals by elevating your creativity & productivity while paying attention to your wellness.

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My Review

5 stars

Ahana has just divorced her abusive husband and lost her mother. She moves to America to help organize a Women’s Conference. Rohan helps her with the conference but his easy way with women leads Ahana to think he is a womanizer. Ahana is also having a hard time with the death of her mother and joins an online group. There is meets Jay, who seems to be a truly wonderful person. But the more she time she spends with Jay the more his true colors come through.

Ahana comes from an upper-class Delhi family and lives in two worlds. The traditional Indian along with the modern American societies. Each has their own pluses and minuses. After her divorce and leaving the abuse, she moves to America and learns of our own problems with online bullying and such.

Vikram writes about the abuse and scorn women go through so well that it breaks my heart. But it is very eye opening. Just to follow Ahana in her journey was tough to read. But all the hardships that she goes through shapes her into the strong woman she becomes at the end of this book.

I admit that this is not a book I would normally chose to read but I’m very glad that I stepped outside my bubble. It’s a great read and one that I recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank MZPR for the opportunity to read and share this book.