Scan barcode
pallasreads's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Complex characters dealing with a complex issue, and lots of fun philosophical discussions. Would make an amazing play as well
meg_thebrave's review against another edition
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I would have to read this book again to catch the nuances, but I really enjoyed the satirical ideas at play and the conversations. Wild and dense. Very academic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Incest
mmnasc's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I don’t know how to feel about this? but the audiobook narrator does NOT help
ebodi8pg's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
tigerlillymelody's review against another edition
3.0
I love that most of the tweets and social media engagement was part of a collaboration amongst online communities told to react to the fictional situation in the book. Maybe it's being an American and knowing very little about German culture but the satire in this book was difficult to grasp for me often, though simultaneously I feel like I am the intended audience for this based on many of the quotes and in jokes. Friends, if you read this and totally get it I'd be excited to hear your thoughts!
raconteurs's review against another edition
5.0
Wow mir schwirrt der Kopf. Ein rasanter Roman der sich wie direkt aus der Gegenwart anfühlt (und es ja auch ist) und ungefähr 1000 Fragen aufwirft. Dazu dann noch Dutzend Buchempfehlungen um sich mit dem Thema Identität auseinander zu setzen. Großartig!
bookishkitkat's review against another edition
3.5
This book was thought provoking, but very strange. Even if I LOVED this book, I would still feel uncomfortable recommending it. For one the phrase "I just adored the notion of nipple sucking as a form of social exchange" appears not even 10 pages into the book. That wasn't even the wildest part of the novel at that point, I just genuinely don't want the actual craziest parts of the novel on my digital footprint.
This book follows our main character Nivedita, an Indian-Polish girl in Germany doing post-colonial and race studies under her beloved professor Saraswati. We see throughout the novel that Nivedita is clearly insecure about being biracial, and tries to claim her Indian identity through the validation of her professor, the people she sleeps with (both white and brown), as well as her cousin Priti. This quest spectacularly blows up in her face when it comes to light that Saraswati is actually a white woman in brownface. What follows is an examination of race, social constructions, and identity politics all through the lens of Nivedita processing this scandal.
The novel alternates between Nivedita's debates with Saraswati post-scandal and anecdotes of her life up until that point. It honestly felt like this book inserted shocking anecdotes to keep the readers interest in what would otherwise be a very long, imagined, dense debate about post-colonial race theory. Seriously there were some wild sexcapades that felt purposeless. Some of the other anecdotes were poignant and relatable. The debates, while long, had some really interesting gems and takeaways. I don't agree with everything the author was trying to assert, but I appreciated the conversation nonetheless.
Another major part of the novel is Nivedita's imagined conversations with the goddess Kali. I had so many thoughts about this. I think I was mostly frustrated that the basically the only portrayal of Hinduism was Kali being the girlboss feminist sex-positive icon. Admittedly, I'm not the most perfect nor most knowledgable Hindu out there, but it still struck me as such a superficial depiction. There were ideas that were touched upon (such as fluidity of gender and identity and the notion of a soul in Hinduism) but never fully explored. I honestly just wish the the book did away with this and had Nivedita in conversation with someone else instead.
All-in-all an interesting read. I wouldn't necessarily recommend, but I still want others to read it so they understand what I'm feeling right now.
This book follows our main character Nivedita, an Indian-Polish girl in Germany doing post-colonial and race studies under her beloved professor Saraswati. We see throughout the novel that Nivedita is clearly insecure about being biracial, and tries to claim her Indian identity through the validation of her professor, the people she sleeps with (both white and brown), as well as her cousin Priti. This quest spectacularly blows up in her face when it comes to light that Saraswati is actually a white woman in brownface. What follows is an examination of race, social constructions, and identity politics all through the lens of Nivedita processing this scandal.
The novel alternates between Nivedita's debates with Saraswati post-scandal and anecdotes of her life up until that point. It honestly felt like this book inserted shocking anecdotes to keep the readers interest in what would otherwise be a very long, imagined, dense debate about post-colonial race theory. Seriously there were some wild sexcapades that felt purposeless. Some of the other anecdotes were poignant and relatable. The debates, while long, had some really interesting gems and takeaways. I don't agree with everything the author was trying to assert, but I appreciated the conversation nonetheless.
Another major part of the novel is Nivedita's imagined conversations with the goddess Kali. I had so many thoughts about this. I think I was mostly frustrated that the basically the only portrayal of Hinduism was Kali being the girlboss feminist sex-positive icon. Admittedly, I'm not the most perfect nor most knowledgable Hindu out there, but it still struck me as such a superficial depiction. There were ideas that were touched upon (such as fluidity of gender and identity and the notion of a soul in Hinduism) but never fully explored. I honestly just wish the the book did away with this and had Nivedita in conversation with someone else instead.
All-in-all an interesting read. I wouldn't necessarily recommend, but I still want others to read it so they understand what I'm feeling right now.
katiide's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5