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A review by charmaineac
Enter Title Here by Naomi Kanakia
5.0
Oh my goodness, this book was so incredibly TWISTED. Reshma is an unlikeable anti-hero, and yet I can somehow... identify with her? I've been a study machine most of my life, although I've definitely angled to be a "perfect" time and time again. I know how much it means to WIN over everything else, although I don't see myself stooping to her levels of immorality. She winds up in a place I never would have expected (great third solution), which is almost better than anything else that could've become of her. I would still like to see where she ends up in a few years though.
The other characters were also portrayed realistically, yet somewhat ridiculously (such as Dr. Wasserman, for example). I loved George and Alex — they are flawed yet amazing characters. And don't we all know a Chelsea? Her composure is admirable.
I found the Aakash storyline hilarious, just because both of them were so researched. It's like they were performing a play!
The story also hit on a lot of racial truths. Some people might be uncomfortable whenever race is brought up where they don't see it, but racial minorities see the race aspect every time. Being a model-minority Asian means having to be 10x better to get to the same place. And yes, the rules keep changing to the point that intangibles are more important than anything else (I never realized that before!). So how do merit-based grinders succeed, when the system now allows for subtle (or blatant) racism? I also laughed at the point of there being just four acceptable jobs (lawyer, doctor, ibanker, or tech enthusiast) — in this day and age, it's so true! I like how Ms. Ratcliffe was misguided to think that Reshma's parents were the driving force behind her mania.
Overall, a lot of cynical truths from a crazy protagonist. Sometimes it's a tough pill to swallow, but always a good time to read. Huge fan!
The other characters were also portrayed realistically, yet somewhat ridiculously (such as Dr. Wasserman, for example). I loved George and Alex — they are flawed yet amazing characters. And don't we all know a Chelsea? Her composure is admirable.
I found the Aakash storyline hilarious, just because both of them were so researched. It's like they were performing a play!
The story also hit on a lot of racial truths. Some people might be uncomfortable whenever race is brought up where they don't see it, but racial minorities see the race aspect every time. Being a model-minority Asian means having to be 10x better to get to the same place. And yes, the rules keep changing to the point that intangibles are more important than anything else (I never realized that before!). So how do merit-based grinders succeed, when the system now allows for subtle (or blatant) racism? I also laughed at the point of there being just four acceptable jobs (lawyer, doctor, ibanker, or tech enthusiast) — in this day and age, it's so true! I like how Ms. Ratcliffe was misguided to think that Reshma's parents were the driving force behind her mania.
Overall, a lot of cynical truths from a crazy protagonist. Sometimes it's a tough pill to swallow, but always a good time to read. Huge fan!