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thndrkat's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully written, compassionate family saga of immigration, struggle, love, and compromise.
mandi4886's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I found this book to be a page turner and a pretty fast read. It was interesting to learn more about Indian culture. I enjoyed researching the meaning behind some of the traditions and words discussed in this book. The book did not explain any of the Hindi words, the Hindi traditions, or the locations in India but instead tended to act like the reader was all knowing. This made the story flow and allowed the reader to see the story through the narrators’ viewpoints but did often leave me wishing for more explanation and backstory. I found it hard to connect to most of the characters who seemed to repeatedly make poor decisions (particularly towards the beginning of the book before Preeti and Kiran moved out of their parents’ house) and to be pretty selfish. Additionally, some of the flashbacks were obscure, placed oddly, or seemed unnecessary. Overall, I would love to read more into Indian culture but would not be likely to recommend this book and do not find myself wishing to reread it.
theshrinkette's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
This book started out well for me, Mehta's got a descriptive writing style that reminded me of Rakesh Satyal. Things I liked: The characters are flawed in a way that goes hand-in-hand with the plot. I thought he did a really good job tackling anti-trans bigotry both within and outside of the queer community in the third part of the book. Loved that Shanti was portrayed as a woman that acknowledged her sexuality, which almost never happens for women of color. Things I didn't like: All of the various characters arcs are left abruptly, and I was left wanting to know so much more about all of them, especially Pooja and Kiran. I was also mildly annoyed by the "brown person lusting after white dude" tropes that occurs not once, but twice in the narrative. Overall, it's well-written, and handles subjects of religion, racism, queerness within the context of an immigrant story pretty well.
This book started out well for me, Mehta's got a descriptive writing style that reminded me of Rakesh Satyal. Things I liked: The characters are flawed in a way that goes hand-in-hand with the plot. I thought he did a really good job tackling anti-trans bigotry both within and outside of the queer community in the third part of the book. Loved that Shanti was portrayed as a woman that acknowledged her sexuality, which almost never happens for women of color. Things I didn't like: All of the various characters arcs are left abruptly, and I was left wanting to know so much more about all of them, especially Pooja and Kiran. I was also mildly annoyed by the "brown person lusting after white dude" tropes that occurs not once, but twice in the narrative. Overall, it's well-written, and handles subjects of religion, racism, queerness within the context of an immigrant story pretty well.
catdad77a45's review against another edition
4.0
Mehta's first novel, after his award-winning short story collection, Quarantine, fulfills the promise of his shorter work. Although it contains some well-worn tropes from both the gay coming of age novel, and the Indian immigrant in America story, there are enough fresh and interesting details to lend it some uniqueness. Some structural and temporal wonkiness (for example, Prabhu is introduced as coming to America due to his grief over his wife dying in childbirth, leading one to believe his son is newly born - only to learn several chapters later that the boy is actually 10 at the time) and an annoying withholding of information so it can be revealed at the most opportune time, prevented this from being a full 5 star read for me. Also, the most intriguing character, the young transgender 'hijra' Pooja, isn't introduced until the final section ... more of her story would have gone a long way towards enhancing the book.
sivinfilo's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to like this book for the plot, but I felt like Mehta's narration spoke too much, gave too much to me. Personally, I don't like the sensation of being spoon-fed; the characters felt overly explained, in a way that made them two-dimensional and unlikeable.
theshrinkette's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
This book started out well for me, Mehta's got a descriptive writing style that reminded me of Rakesh Satyal. Things I liked: The characters are flawed in a way that goes hand-in-hand with the plot. I thought he did a really good job tackling anti-trans bigotry both within and outside of the queer community in the third part of the book. Loved that Shanti was portrayed as a woman that acknowledged her sexuality, which almost never happens for women of color. Things I didn't like: All of the various characters arcs are left abruptly, and I was left wanting to know so much more about all of them, especially Pooja and Kiran. I was also mildly annoyed by the "brown person lusting after white dude" tropes that occurs not once, but twice in the narrative. Overall, it's well-written, and handles subjects of religion, racism, queerness within the context of an immigrant story pretty well.
This book started out well for me, Mehta's got a descriptive writing style that reminded me of Rakesh Satyal. Things I liked: The characters are flawed in a way that goes hand-in-hand with the plot. I thought he did a really good job tackling anti-trans bigotry both within and outside of the queer community in the third part of the book. Loved that Shanti was portrayed as a woman that acknowledged her sexuality, which almost never happens for women of color. Things I didn't like: All of the various characters arcs are left abruptly, and I was left wanting to know so much more about all of them, especially Pooja and Kiran. I was also mildly annoyed by the "brown person lusting after white dude" tropes that occurs not once, but twice in the narrative. Overall, it's well-written, and handles subjects of religion, racism, queerness within the context of an immigrant story pretty well.
jessicaesquire's review against another edition
3.0
This one started as a 4-star but ended up as a 3.5 for me. I love the writing, I love the family, but ultimately it didn't quite gel for me the way I'd hoped. The book is centered on an Indian-American family in a small town in upstate New York. At first, you get a hint of family secrets buried beneath the surface as 12-year-old Kiran cannot stop staring at another family's house. The book has micro flash-forwards, revealing in an aside that this character grows up to be gay and that character dies in the World Trade Center. A few notable times in the Shah family are illuminated, but ultimately the book leaves Kiran largely unexplored, and the small glimpses into the minds of the characters only left me wanting more and feeling unfulfilled. The same goes for Pooja, the "hijra" (a trans woman, and recognized third gender in India) who is introduced early on, abandoned for most of the book, and then comes back at the end leaving more questions than answers about who she is and what her life is like.
Still, it's a beautifully written novel, with a sharp eye on religion, racism, and more. Good companion book to A SLEEPWALKER'S GUIDE TO DANCING.
Still, it's a beautifully written novel, with a sharp eye on religion, racism, and more. Good companion book to A SLEEPWALKER'S GUIDE TO DANCING.
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