In Beautiful Disguises is the debut novel by Rajeev Balasubramanyam. At first sight it seems the increasingly common tale of a rebellious young woman refusing to accept family traditions when the time comes for her to be married. Yet Balasubramanyam’s witty and frank account of the heroine’s escape from convention is surprisingly refreshing.
Her only kinship is with her elder brother Ravi, an office clerk with a “bananaesque nose” who takes his frustration out on her as a way of showing familiarity. Consequently, like any outsider graced with a lively imagination, the heroine hides out in the Magick Movie House each day and dreams of becoming Holly Golightly.