Penguin Random House India is proud to announce the acquisition of a new novel by award-winning writer, journalist and speaker Meghna Pant. Titled The Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Good News, the book is about a small-town woman, Ladoo, who scandalizes her conservative family when she decides to use a sperm donor to have a baby, while continuing to look for Mr Right. The book will be released in April 2021, and soon be seen as a major motion picture under the title Badnam Ladoo.
Commenting on her upcoming book, Meghna Pant says, ‘I’ve seen the pressure young women face by family, friends and acquaintances to have children early. I know the hell I went through on my thirty-fifth birthday as I was childless and unmarried. That’s why I wrote about the panic Ladoo felt when a gynaecologist told her that her “eggs were drying up”, and doing artificial insemination immediately was her last chance of having a baby! Ladoo’s story about finding the right sperm donor, whose kundali matches hers, while fighting social stigma, her mother’s opposition, her ticking biological clock, and her own mixed feelings about whether Mr Right Donor can also be Mr Right, is something every woman––young or old––can identify with. At the same time, Ladoo’s story seeks to upend this cautionary tale that women are spoon-fed from the time they’re little girls––to have kids early––and instead amplifies the message––my body, my rules!’
This book takes a humorous and light approach to address an important issue, relevant to every woman in the world, without being belligerent or pedantic. India’s top actors and comedians like Manvi Gagroo, Lisa Ray, Kaneez Surka, Atul Khatri, Abish Matthew and Anu Menon have endorsed the book.
Milee Ashwarya, publisher, Ebury and Vintage Publishing, says: ‘Meghna Pant is a talented and versatile writer. The Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Good News is her second novel, and I’m sure it will be a treat for all her readers. I found myself breezing through the book in one session; the characters are relatable and the writing witty and engaging.’
Gurveen Chadha, senior commissioning editor, says: ‘The book resonated with me so much, and I hope it will with many other women who constantly face the pressures of looking good, finding the right guy, getting married, having babies—all at “the right age”. It’s a book you should read to feel inspired, to make your own choices and to embrace the life you want to lead without any kind of guilt or shame.’
