A celebration of love, and desire, ‘One Night Only’ by Saumyaa Vohra strikes the perfect balance between themes of romance and friendship that every summer-y romance needs.
Revolving around four friends – Rubani (often shorted to Bani), Natasha (fondly known as Nattu), Saira and Faiza – the book starts with Rubani’s break up with her long-term boyfriend and progresses to the girls’ long-awaited Goa trip. Through the course of a few days, the women traverse a true test of friendship as they hop between bars and argue about the deepest wounds in their friendship.
Their trip uncovers an amalgamation of discoveries about their bond as well as each of them individually and is told as a narration of events smoothly interrupted by tales of each of their ‘meaningful’ one-night stands in an attempt to persuade Bani to engage in one. Amidst the recollections of memories and constant emotional turbulence, they explore and understand their own selves like never before.
The book relies on the way the visible differences in the four women’s demeanour, habits and outlook on life is no testament to the strength of their friendship. Bani fights stereotypes about being bisexual by standing up for herself whenever someone makes assumptions about her commitment to her relationships, while Saira takes a more lax, no-drama approach to romantic relationships by engaging mostly in casual flings. Faiza is as thoughtful as she is fun, and Natasha is dynamic, proudly flawed and dedicated.
One of the strengths of the book is how the depth of these characters are revealed to the audience – little by little, through flashbacks to their past and careful observations of their behaviour by the audience or other characters in the book, we learn more about their flaws and strengths. This allows the readers to empathize and even see bits of themselves in the women, who are all truly spirited and zany.
Further, their development by the end of the book is clearly defined – we see Natasha being unabashedly honest to her oldest friends without the fear of being judged, Saira changing her outlook towards romantic commitment, Bani progressing past her own mental biases and judgements about sexual desires (such as one-night stands!) and Faiza… While all the characters break free from archetypes in a well-developed manner, some (namely Natasha and Faiza) are not as well-developed or memorable as their counterparts. Although they are equally realistic and enjoyable, their anecdotes rarely evoke emotion like the others do.
Character dynamics are also an important and well laid-out aspect of the book, making it an engaging and realistic read. Through sharp retorts, shared laughter, borderline boundary crossing jokes, and deep conversations, Vohra takes reflects real life with her nuanced take on each of their friendships. In particular, the subplot of Bani and Saira, Natasha’s oldest friends, feeling unprioritized in comparison to Faiza is extremely astute and authentic.
From the burst of emotion that leads Bani to confront Nattu about it to the innocent way they ‘talk it out’, it is clear that a lot of thought and care has gone into perfecting their storyline – and successfully so! Similar, Natasha’s perspective on each of her friendships is extremely understandable while also provoking reflection about the readers’ own relationships. Each of the main characters’ perspectives on their lives and bonds is vibrant yet mindful – and readers are sure to relate to at least one of their vantage points.
Vohra also takes a layered approach to sexuality, and in particular, explores bisexuality through Bani’s character in the book. Coming from a warm family, she never really feels the need to ‘come out’ to her parents or announce her sexuality – but faces her own fair share of struggles with her bisexuality. Between requests for threesomes and assumptions about her style of attraction and attachment, Bani isn’t afraid to call her friends into question when they charter into stereotypical territory. For Vogue India, Vohra writes “They were all experiences I felt necessary to write in Rubani’s character in One Night Only; the threesome requests, the ‘straight women believing you’ve loved them all along’, the assumption that you’ll cheat because you have ‘twice the options’.
It felt cathartic to draw out the “othering” of being bi through Rubani’s lived experience; that discordant feeling of being neither ‘straight’ nor ‘queer’ enough.” While Bani’s ideals of the perfect relationship are the central focus of the book, her bisexuality is an important aspect of her character depicted with mindfulness. This representation is an important part of the book, and can even be categorized as a milestone for contemporary literature in India, as Rubani is the first bisexual protagonist in commercial fiction in the country, as specified by Vogue India. This inclusion of multiple vantage points is essential to ensuring that the younger generations today get the chance to grow up seeing themselves reflected carefully and accurately in media and fiction!
This soulful depiction along with the quick pacing of the book makes it an honest yet entertaining beach read. Filled with twists, turns, and untold secrets, its complexities and depth do not take away from its zest. Further, the use of language and references that are culture-specific add to the vividity and naturalistic quality of the book. The quintessential Delhi ‘ya’s’ and ‘arreys’ are light-hearted connections to reality. Similarly, references to shows like ‘The OC’ when Bani describes the girl she’s talking to on a dating app as an Indian Summer Roberts are a reflection of the time the main characters are a product of – and amusing allusions to pop culture as we know it! This vivaciousness along with the fast-paced story make the book immersive.
Goa may be the typical location for every friends trip, but there is nothing typical about the journey Bani, Natasha, Saira and Faiza had. As they ultimately strengthen their bonds with each other and even form new connections, Saumyaa Vohra weaves together a layered and beautiful narrative. Highlighting the themes of platonic and romantic love through the most candid yet detailed lens possible, ‘One Night Only’ uplifts the importance of female friendships in all its highs and lows!
https://www.vogue.in/content/my-bisexuality-curse-is-being-thought-of-as-neither-straight-nor-queer