Ashok Choudhary is a young Indian boy living in modern-day London. A troubled youth, he has to deal with the bigotry of white gang members who terrorize him, the brutality of a drunken father who doles out punishment and abuse to his entire family, and the confusion of a living with a mother who tolerates the abuse in the name of Karma. He does so by keeping everything inside, away from even his two best friends and the beautiful teenage girl who loves him. Everything in his life seems wrong, but if he seeks help, it could backfire and hurt the ones he loves. He has to figure out a way to solve this dilemma on his own, but does he have the strength to do so?

Vimal Vaz, the author of this tragic tale, takes us on a journey through a young man’s life, exposing us to situations that are unexpectedly outrageous. In The Kiss of Karma, we learn how beliefs and reality collide to manufacture an environment that tests the strength of a young man’s will. This is a dark story, but one that offers hope. Because of the language and sexual content in the book, which is necessarily graphic and sometimes raw, I can recommend this only to an adult audience, but I do recommend it highly. It is well-written and fast paced. Mr. Vaz is a promising young author who we will hear much about in the years to come. It was a pleasure reading this book.

In The Kiss of Karma by Vimal Vaz, 14-year-old Ashok Choudhary is in many ways just like any number of other kids living in London in the 1990s. He's got two best mates, Carlton and Ginger, a childhood sweetheart, Sherifa, and a younger sister, Nisha, who's smarter than he is. Under the surface though, are troubling differences. He's Hindu and Sherifa is Muslim, and there's no way her parents would approve of them being together. Worse yet, his father, an unemployed mini-cab driver, is constantly drunk and physically abuses Ashok's mother as well as his kids. Ashok is dismayed when Nisha tells him that their father is also sexually abusing her. Their mother is taking antidepressants to deal with her problems and tells Ashok that there is nothing they can do. It's our Karma, she explains, and a man has the right to do these things to his family.

Author Vimal Vaz handles tough subjects in his Coming of Age/Realistic Novel, The Kiss of Karma. His main character, Ashok, has to grow up and become an adult before he's even been a teen for very long. Watching him swallow his fear and stand up to his father, knowing full well that he'd be beaten for it, is hard to take, but the bravery and conviction Ashok shows in doing so makes him a complex and believable main character. Vaz deftly handles racism, religious differences and, the elephant in many rooms, generational abuse in a novel that is uplifting and very entertaining. I found it hard to break away from reading The Kiss of Karma and am looking forward to reading the sequel. This book is well worth your time.

Kiss of Karma by Vimal Vaz is a gritty and brutal view of a teenager's experience in London. Ashok Choudhary comes from an Indian family and he has a secret Muslim girlfriend named Sherifa Khan or "Cherri." The stress and violence in his life is found at home and in the streets.

There seems to be no escape from his mother's blame or his father's alcoholic and evil moods. But this teenage boy is the hero in his own story, defending his vulnerable sister and surviving racially-motivated beatings in the streets. He is aware of his young sister's sexual abuse at the hands of his father. His sister Nisha seems to take refuge in a world of her own to cope. Ashok or "Ash" confronts his father and there is a terrible and fiery conclusion to the story. His Mum is in denial about the abuses that surround her. She criticizes her son to shift her guilt and prove the justice of Karma. She feels that the negative events in this life are a result of negative actions in the previous life. Reincarnation produces Karma.

Ashok feels weighed down by the burden of Karma and reincarnation which is not at all like a kiss. Ashok's story is told with coarse and violent language of the street which mirrors the blood-soaked plot. The format of the story is unconventional. The plot description and the character's dialogue is laid out in individual lines of text rather than paragraphs or blocks. Somehow the format makes this story easier to read. The descriptions of Ashok's hard life are raw yet artistic. Be prepared for anything in Vimal Vaz's Kiss of Karma.