Self Esteem of a Woman in Shobha De's Socialite Evenings

Shobha De?s maiden novel Socialite Evenings discusses the story of Karuna, a prominent Bombay socialite, who escapes the nightmare of a broken marriage, failed relationships and a mentally disturbed sister. The novel deals with the people of high society and their way of life which revolves around the main character Karuna who longs for a luxurious life who ends up marrying an aristocrat with whom she leads an unexciting life, then divorces him and writes her memoir to escape from her trauma or present situation. De provides Karuna an opportunity to share her varied experiences in life. Initially she works as a model then resorts to writing and later making advertisement films. She meets all sorts of people during her career and learns a lot about human relationships. The novel gives a stark picture of the marginalisation of the Indian husbands at the hands of their wives. It is also the most vindictive of De?s novels aimed at taking revenge on men.