Love Marriage is the literary equivalent of an art movie. It is written in a very unique genre. It talks of love, hate, marriage and war all at the same time; yet the tone of the book is very serene.

The book is a very medium paced gradual progression of events across time moving to and fro, unlike a regular novel that would follow a certain sequence and time line. V. V. Ganeshananthan has used a very unmatched style to demonstrate the role of marriage in Sri Lankan society and provides a brilliant contrast to the immigrant Sri Lankan's idea of marriage.

She begins the book with "In this globe-scattered Sri Lankan family, we speak of only two kinds of marriage. The first is the Arranged Marriage. The Second is the Love Marriage. In reality, there is a whole spectrum in between, but most of us spend years running away from the first toward the second." This summary of the Sri Lankan line of thought is compared with her American born Sri Lankan's views in the closing of her book. "But although we are the children of our parents, we have entered other countries in which the rules of Marriage - Love Marriage, Arranged Marriage, and all that lies in between- do not always apply."

The book represents a journey portraying the difference between a traditional Sri Lankan and one who is only Sri Lankan to speak of. It is a struggle of wanting to be someone closely tied to ethnic values, yet at the same time a rebellion and 'other worldly'  outlook on life. 

It is also a struggle to be a part of something and to actually belong. Yalini, the main character, was born and raised in the States. But until her cousin Janini came from Sri Lanka, she had never thought about what she believes in, what faith is and in true essence, who she really is.

Despite having integrated in the American society, her parents' constant love for home unknowingly seeps into her system. She may not have a perspective on the Tamil Tigers or on the Sinhalese government, but she has reason to believe that her uncle and cousin fought a just war. 

Ganeshananthan has used the concept of marriage as the central theme of the book, but she has several other themes revolving around the central theme. Every character in the book is defined by the marital choice they made. Those who got married, those who didn't, those who couldn't and those who lost their spouses for a variety of reasons. She has brilliantly enveloped war, migration and patriotism all within the concept of marriage. 

Ganeshananthan has an extraordinarily peaceful style of writing. She makes war and hatred seem less dramatic than they truly are. In not wanting her naive character to be exposed to the horrors of war, Ganeshananthan has kept the gruesome details out. Not only out of her character's knowledge, but out of the book entirely. This is probably what makes war sound like a usual occurrence. Personally, it gave the feel of the current world crisis, depicting how people in one part of the world and torn into pieces, whereas in another life continues without disruption or so much as emotions for those unfortunate ones. 

Aside from the fact that the book was slower than regular novels, Love Marriage provides a perspective that is unheard of. A perspective that is influenced by factors people would normally not consider while making such decisions.