Love Marriage by Monica Ali-Aligning of Two Families All Too Familiar

Monica Ali's novel centers around a young engaged couple, Yasmin and Joe, both young physicians living in London.  It weaves the merging and diverging of families brought together by pending nuptials.  Yasmin is of Indian heritage and the daughter of Anisha and Shaokat, a doctor.  Joe is the son of Harriet, an upperclass, outspoken feminist and absent father.  Class, religion and family dysfunction are not the only hurdles Joe and Yasmin have to get over.  They also share things in common, their medical professions and family ties with which they're shackled..  Harriet has no boundaries where her son Joe is concerned.  Shaokat has groomed Yasmin to become a doctor leaving her without questioning whether this would be her chosen profession.  The novel gets off to a hilarious and cringeworthy start with the first meeting between the in-laws at the swanky home of Harriet.  Yasmin tries to convince her mother not to bring food to the chef prepared and servant served meal and Joe tries to rein in his mother's pretentious behaviors, both to no avail.  Ali's writing soars when she's drawing out the eccentricities of both mothers, Harriet and Anisha.  The smorgasbord of characters which swirl around our lovers have more spiciness making the betrothed bland in comparison.  Yasmin deals with the hospital's hierarchy of administrative bureaucrats, competent and conniving nurses and colorful patients.  Harriet's home is a revolving door of flavorful friends.  The subplots are numerous which spurn additional subplots.  Some manage to rise to the top of this melting, Joe's therapy for sex addiction, Yasmin's younger, unemployed brother and his pregnant girlfriend, Yasmin's affair with the lead medical doctor and patients in her ward.  These subplots bubble over, sizzling with messy sex and betrayal leaving sticky situations that need to soak before scrubbing.  "The shame was idiopathic. It had no discernible cause.  Nonetheless, there it was, the flush of emotion, the warm wet feeling like some kind of chronic internal incontinence."  The story strays with so many ingredients distilling the melting pot love story.  Still,  some of the piquant morsels are surprisingly tasty.   The best lines are flybys that come from characters that slip in and slither out quickly.  The conversations at a holiday party hosted by Harriet are razor sharp social commentary.  Patients in the dementia ward spout frothy witticisms.   Topical issues of religion, race, sexual abuse and prejudice are tackled with gravitas and humor.  Yasmin comes to the realization, "Guilt is the most useless of all the emotions.  The most pathetic. The most self-involved."  LOVE, MARRIAGE is easily digestible with something to appeal to everyone.