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rdhk's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book is so meandering and kind of pointless that I was surprised to discover it's not a memoir. Its central theme is racism against Indian Americans in the US, which it explores well, but the author's narrative style didn't fully engage me. The plot was also sort of half-baked and muddled.
ramonamead's review against another edition
4.0
I'm kicking myself for not reading this book sooner! It's a timely read, and gives a story about race and class that's different from the most common ones we hear about in the news. I was engaged from start to finish, constantly amazed by the turns in the story and wondering where it would end up.
Our narrator is Raj, an Indian-American college professor and father of two boys with his white wife. Raj is having a rough week. On Sunday evening, he makes a dumb joke without thinking while interviewing a black couple who have applied to join his predominately white tennis club. The next day, his lecture is recorded by a student and published online which leads to him being accused as being reverse racist by a group of extremely conservative students. These two events each snowball on their own, causing Raj to face a lot of ugly truth about his life he'd been happily ignoring for years.
I liked Raj from the start. He's a genuinely nice guy, trying to do his best. He's never felt like he fit in wherever he's lived, and he's just looking for a sense of community. The writing is sharp and funny inn a dark way. I appreciated having a glimpse into the mind and life of this character I don't have much in common with and could never imagine what his life is life. I have a little bit of an idea now what it might be like to always feel like an outsider because of your skin color or religion.
This is an important read, now more than ever. It demonstrates that things aren't always as straightforward as they seem. I highly recommend it for readers of literary fiction and current affairs.
Many thanks to NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Our narrator is Raj, an Indian-American college professor and father of two boys with his white wife. Raj is having a rough week. On Sunday evening, he makes a dumb joke without thinking while interviewing a black couple who have applied to join his predominately white tennis club. The next day, his lecture is recorded by a student and published online which leads to him being accused as being reverse racist by a group of extremely conservative students. These two events each snowball on their own, causing Raj to face a lot of ugly truth about his life he'd been happily ignoring for years.
I liked Raj from the start. He's a genuinely nice guy, trying to do his best. He's never felt like he fit in wherever he's lived, and he's just looking for a sense of community. The writing is sharp and funny inn a dark way. I appreciated having a glimpse into the mind and life of this character I don't have much in common with and could never imagine what his life is life. I have a little bit of an idea now what it might be like to always feel like an outsider because of your skin color or religion.
This is an important read, now more than ever. It demonstrates that things aren't always as straightforward as they seem. I highly recommend it for readers of literary fiction and current affairs.
Many thanks to NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
devinboehmer's review against another edition
4.0
Highly recommend. I loved the blend of campus novel, immigrant story and exploration of racism. The “week in the life” structure was balanced well with a compelling plot, which I feel “slice of life” novels often lack. This would be a great book club book!
skrcherian's review
5.0
4.5. It started a little slow and took a minute to get me invested in the characters
cchartier's review against another edition
4.0
A high anxiety read for me. What starts off as a pretty bad week for Dr. Raj Bhatt grows increasingly worse and increasingly scary. I even avoided reading the "Friday" chapter because I was upset imaging what would happen next.
What was especially difficult to read is Raj's processing of events, even as they happen. At one point he lets his rage fly (completely understandable, considering the racist harassment he is receiving on campus), and the description hit a bit too close to home; the mix of anger, powerlessness, and fear reverberated. Raj immediately seeing his own mistakes and either owning them, or leaning in to them, are teriffically written.
What was especially difficult to read is Raj's processing of events, even as they happen. At one point he lets his rage fly (completely understandable, considering the racist harassment he is receiving on campus), and the description hit a bit too close to home; the mix of anger, powerlessness, and fear reverberated. Raj immediately seeing his own mistakes and either owning them, or leaning in to them, are teriffically written.
ashleykoz's review
5.0
Eye opening. Really alerted me to all the small prejudiced things I have done or said throughout the years while trying to be funny or relate to someone of a different ethnicity than me and advice for how to be better. This story was also very well-written. Although not a thriller by any means, the nature of the way Raj's week plays out has me analyzing every action, every word, every event to try to figure out how it could potentially be used against him later or be spun into a different light.
brennadavis24's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books that is going to take time to process, but it’s a powerful story of race, belonging, and membership. Highly recommend.
lizisreading_'s review against another edition
4.0
Raj, an immigrant from Bombay, is the only non-white member of his country club, so when a Black couple arrived in hopes of joining, Raj is thrilled. While attempting to connect with the couple, Raj makes a racist joke that becomes the catalyst for a week of unraveling. I was hooked from the beginning. There is so much tension throughout this entire book and it is very cringe worthy. Raj is pretty unlikeable a lot of the time, but he is successful in really making you think.
The author set out to blend the traditionally white campus novel with a story of immigration, race, and a midlife crisis and in my opinion was very successful.
This book is funny and illuminating and a unique look at racial dynamics that isn’t solely black and white.
The author set out to blend the traditionally white campus novel with a story of immigration, race, and a midlife crisis and in my opinion was very successful.
This book is funny and illuminating and a unique look at racial dynamics that isn’t solely black and white.
kenzrandall's review against another edition
3.0
This is a smart book and I really felt for the main character, Raj. It brings up a lot of interesting points about race, belonging, and community. The writing (mostly the flashbacks to Raj’s past) was sometimes clunky, and I wanted a stronger ending, but overall I enjoyed it!
kjulie's review against another edition
5.0
How is it possible that I loved a book, that made me this anxious, so much?!!
How can I explain this... it’s a story about Raj, a tennis playing anthropology professor, and his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. This book could have been so awkward (Raj tells a really bad joke and immediately regrets it, plus he’s accused of racism by his students), but instead it’s a very honest expression of the challenge and cost of trying to find belonging, of being a person of colour in a society made by whiteness, of being vulnerable in your place of work. It is the portrait of a crisis moment (turned up to 11), and how those moments shape us and are shaped by us. I’ve been wanting to read more contemporary fiction, and I’m so glad I picked this up.
How can I explain this... it’s a story about Raj, a tennis playing anthropology professor, and his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. This book could have been so awkward (Raj tells a really bad joke and immediately regrets it, plus he’s accused of racism by his students), but instead it’s a very honest expression of the challenge and cost of trying to find belonging, of being a person of colour in a society made by whiteness, of being vulnerable in your place of work. It is the portrait of a crisis moment (turned up to 11), and how those moments shape us and are shaped by us. I’ve been wanting to read more contemporary fiction, and I’m so glad I picked this up.