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A review by autumn_alwaysreadingseason
Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Neil Narayan's parents have high expectations for him, but all he wants is for his long-time friend and next door neighbor, Anita, to notice him. When Anita begins to change the crowd she hangs out with and succeed at school in ways that she hasn't before, Neil finds out that it's due to her consumption of liquid gold--an old family recipe. When he discovers this secret, he gets in on the scheme, stealing items from his classmates and neighbors to melt down and drink so he can harness the owners' potential.
The premise of this book was so promising. I loved the thoughts on the Indian community in America, the dive into the history of the Gold Rush and Neil's obsession with a Bombayan that seemed to be involved. Ultimately though, when the narrative reached Part Two, I was getting sick of Neil. I was much more interested in Anita and her mother and would have liked for one of them to be the narrator instead. And poor Shruti didn't feel like a fully realized character.
The premise of this book was so promising. I loved the thoughts on the Indian community in America, the dive into the history of the Gold Rush and Neil's obsession with a Bombayan that seemed to be involved. Ultimately though, when the narrative reached Part Two, I was getting sick of Neil. I was much more interested in Anita and her mother and would have liked for one of them to be the narrator instead. And poor Shruti didn't feel like a fully realized character.