Reviews

No Other World by Rahul Mehta

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djceebs's review

5.0

Few writers catch the sadness of the human soul like Mehta. His work weaves together the stories of a South Asian family lost in their identities: a young boy tinkering with his sexuality, a Mom torn between her duty and desire, an uncle unsteady by his wife’s death and his brothers distance. What’s the most captivating about this book is how Mehta charges the most mundane moments with tension, like the scene where Nishit cleans his glasses. Well worth a read.

gjmaupin's review

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4.0

Quite good.

megatsunami's review

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4.0

3.5 stars

sopesock's review against another edition

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3.0

beautiful language at times, but i felt like the book didn't really have intention, though it was clear the author had been living with the characters for a while. there were so many glimpes, past, present, future interwoven, the reader knew too much to be holding their breath.

kdhanda's review

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4.0

Coming of age book by a gay Indian man. Confused by his identity, Karan struggles with the paradox of his traditional culture and his rural upbringing in the US. While the struggle is real, the writing felt rather contrived and abrupt. The introduction of the hijra (hermaphrodite) in the last half felt completely out of place. A brave book, no doubt, dealing with issues of identity, homophobia, and loss of home.

cheryl1213's review

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3.0

This is a story about family, culture, and identity. Kiran is born to a couple who immigrated to America from India in search of the American dream. In some ways, they have it. They are doing fine and living in a nice town in Western NY, but Kiran feels like he doesn't quite belong. He questions how he fits, both in his nation and in his own home. The book also introduces us to the uncle who stayed behind in India and eventually to his son as well, providing the reader different eyes on the story. Although Kiran is the protagonist, we also see stories he doesn't, including his mom's brief affair and his cousin's struggle during his brief visit to the U.S. As Kiran grows and becomes aware of his own identity as a gay man, other questions arise that make the study in identity even broader.

I liked the roundness of the characters here. We see imperfections and secrets and we see how even those who look at ease feel a bit lost. I enjoyed this book, but it didn't stay with me much beyond the last place. I also felt like a few of the storylines...the early mention of one girl's death on 9/11, the key moments in Kiran's trip to India...felt forced into the story like ideas the writer wanted to be sure to get on the page.

This DID feel real at many points and I think it would connect on a deeper level with first-generation Americans and also with those who know what it feels like to be gay in a culture that won't utter the word.

Three and a half stars. Provided to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.