It was with scepticism that I picked up Apeksha Rao’s ‘Along Came a Spyder’, after my ten-year-old couldn’t stop raving about ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spyder’ which is a prequel to the book. She’s so tired of screaming matches at the breakfast table.Her grand daughter, Samira, is about to go postal, and rightfully so.A YA spy thriller? Didn’t I leave them way behind when I entered adulthood? There’s nothing as satisfying as knowing that you’ve outlived the snotty women who used to look down on you when you were younger. She’d rather spend her time running her Bhajan Mandal, and reading the Obituaries page in the newspaper. Samira’s Aaji is tired of explaining all the gunshot holes in her daughter in-law’s clothes to curious maids. You know … one who doesn’t burn the kitchen down while making a simple omelette.Īnd, also … doesn’t know quite so many ways to kill someone. She’s proud of the fact that her son is a spy, but she would prefer a more conventional daughter-in-law. If only she could solve her family’s problems as easily. Whether it’s a missing servant, a stolen diamond bangle or an errant husband, your one-stop solution for all your issues is Savita Joshi aka Aaji. Samira’s grandmother can solve any problem, which is why she’s the toast of the Hindu Colony Bhajan Mandal.

What’s a good spy to do when her dreams are in danger? She feels the key to the mystery lies in Samira’s childhood.īetween her mother’s drama, a trouble-making grandmother, and a confused therapist, Samira’s life is spinning out of control. Samira can swear on her stack of covert operative manuals that it has something to with her mother’s last mission. So, why is her mother suddenly acting like a typical Indian mom and pushing her to be a doctor? That’s exactly what her parents have trained her to be.

She dreams of becoming a badass spy like her parents. Samira is sweet, sassy, and almost seventeen.

Unless she’s trying to destroy your dreams. If you’re Samira Joshi, and your mother is an elite spy who works for RAW, the first thing you do is … hide the knives.Īfter that, you go straight to the therapist that she has chosen.įor, when your mother knows seventeen different ways to kill a man, you don’t argue with her.

What do you do when your mother feels that you don’t trust her?

Along Came A Spyder by Apeksha Rao