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eleanorcarter19's review against another edition
4.0
I struggled to get into the novel because the characters are difficult to connect to, but it stuck with me for many hours after a each reading session. Absorbing prose and wonderful meditation on themes of love, sex, shame, and especially the intersection of memory and reality. A differently structured novel than most, but personally gratifying for the "intellectual" and rewarding of those who are patient with the text.
doublyinked's review against another edition
4.0
So much I wanted to take down from that book. It is insufferably academic at times, but the deep reflections on love, desire, immigration, displacement of identity, and the mere evocation of the peculiar life of the doctorate student, were more than enough to keep me going. I would just fill a notebook of quotes taken from there. Stimulating.
erinhjackson's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The American dream is fucking every woman you work with
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
viralmysteries's review against another edition
5.0
A powerful meditation on the nature of education, political awareness, and sexuality in a young Indian immigrant graduate student. I really appreciated how this book grappled with how many people want to be part of something grander and bigger than themselves, and also have these simple carnal desires that can often seem at odds with our goals but are still central to who we are and how we live. A difficult and time intensive book to read, but really worthwhile in my opinion.
sarahc3319's review against another edition
3.0
I need some new adjectives, fresh descriptors. For this novel, I would like to convey that it is whimsical-- but not in a light, fluffy way. I would like to explain the earnestness of Kailash, without making him seem dopey or naive. I would like to express my admiration for the structure of the book, with its footnotes, illustrations, and frequent quotations... without making it seem overly academic or dry. An introduction to the US framed against the women AK encountered, loved, studied, knew. A unique and enjoyable novel much better than my ability to describe its strengths.
sujata's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed feelings. I loved all the parts about his reflections on being new in America in the 90s and beyond. I loved the hampers of adult Kailash. I was not as into his actual story but also recognize that is part of the traditional story and also does also reflect much of being new to the states from India. So mixed feelings!
lyloster's review
Got to 35%. The book started strong, very well written and interesting, but in the second chapter it just started dragging out too much up to the point when I lost interest in the story.
jcr610's review
4.0
A lovely, deeply intelligent, and often funny autofictional story of coming-of-age as an immigrant grad student in (mostly) New York. More than that, it’s about the imaginary life of nation-states—how we envision ourselves within and crossing borders, how home and place are defined, cosmopolitanism and its limits. Desire loosely structures the novel, like if Philip Roth’s horniness were added to the wandering meditations of Teju Cole or W.G. Sebald. The extent of the wandering wore me down a bit in the latter half, but what it lacks in narrative structure it makes up for in rewarding thoughtfulness.