Book review – Dating,diapers & denial

Book – Dating, diapers & denial

Author – Rachna Singh

Publication – Alchemy Publishers

Pages – 221

Price – Rs. 175

Genre – Humor 

Plot–

“The next day, I looked, fearfully for our picture on Page 3, worried it would be captioned ‘Chacha from Uttar Pradesh Does The Cha Cha’ but thankfully, it was not there.”

Dating, diapers & denial by debutante author Rachna Singh is a tongue – in-cheek take on her life from twenties to forties. The book is pleasantly divided into chapters, each of which comes with a title to give a sneak peek into the aspect to be covered. From meeting her  husband Alok for the first time to delivering her daughter Aisha in Japan and then her son Prithvi in Bangalore, the book takes us through the authors journey of life. It deals with regular mundane topics like the usually dreaded vacations with children to the importance of helpers in life to living in denial about aging. Since this is based completely on the personal experience of the author, she has chosen a humorous perspective on the topics citing various incidents. Few of such instances are pure gold – like when the author tries to have a conversation with her kids about their day in school. The contrast in replies between her son and daughter is rib tickling funny. Under the veil of comedy, the author deals with serious issues like stereotyping, gender based situations, mid-life crisis, role of support system for a working mother and the fear of death. But all these are dealt with in a sensitive way without losing the essence of  humor ever. This is what makes this book an easy, witty and light read.

Analysis –

I first read this book in 2012. I was newly married then and could relate to only a part of it. Yet the smooth language and the fast pace of the book made me finish it at one go. I remember laughing through it all. I re-read this book couple of weeks back. With a two-year old toddler now, I could associate myself with every single scenario. Most of the parents, specially the mothers – working or stay at home, will be able to identify with her story. What really works well for the book is its tone. Every situation, however grave it is has been viewed from a humorous perspective making it a highly enjoyable read. This is definitely not a parenting guide-book but more a book that makes one feel in solidarity with unavoidable embarrassing and difficult situations and hows to make the best of it. At her wittiest best, the author takes to self-deprecating humor to bring out the hilarity of her experience.

Assessment –

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light and breezy read. It leaves the reader with a smile on the lips. And if the reader is also a parent, she might end up feeling empathetic towards the author while laughing her heart out.

My rating for this book would be –

4 of 5

About the writer –

Rachna Singh writes in the areas of humor, love, and organizational development. Born and schooled in Allahabad, Rachna studied at St. Mary’s Convent and, subsequently, at the University of Allahabad. She inherits her wicked humor from her father, Ajit Thakurdas, and her love for writing from her mother, Kamalini Thakurdas, who writes in poetry and prose in Hindi. Rachna has worked in the area of Learning and Organizational Development for almost two decades. She has worked at Tata Motors, Infosys, Spice Telecom and Dell.

Source – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6425837.Rachna_Singh

Author: Sonia Chatterjee

An alumnus of Presidency College (Kolkata), Delhi University, and XIME (Bangalore), Sonia Chatterjee holds two post-graduate degrees in Chemistry and Management and an MFA in creative writing from Writer's Village University. With eight years of experience in the banking sector as a Branch Head, she took a sabbatical from the corporate world to start her blog soniasmusings.com. Her blog consistently featured in the Top Indian Blogs list from 2019 to 2024. Her articles have been published on various digital platforms such as Women's Web, Youth Ki Awaaz, Tuck's Magazine, and Period Magazine. She was invited as a speaker at the Breaking Barriers, Kolkata 2018 event by the Women's Web, at the Women Writer’s Fest, Kolkata, 2020, and the Crime Writers Festival, Kolkata,2025. Sonia has written two detective thrillers titled ‘Deal of Death – Introducing Raya Ray’ (2019) and ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death – A Raya Ray Adventure’ (Vishwakarma Publications, 2024) and a non-fiction book on true crime titled ‘The Sanyasi Who Became a King’ (Sristhi Publishers, 2025). Her book ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ was shortlisted for the PVLF Awards 2024-25 in the Best Fiction Category. Sonia lives in Kolkata with her doctor husband and nine-and-a-half-year-old son. View all posts by Sonia Chatterjee