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A review by shana629
Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
3.0
Oh dear.
I loved this book as a teenager, perhaps heavily influenced by the fact that it was one of the only books where I felt represented as a South Asian girl. And after reading some sloppier YA books with a South Asian protagonist in recent years, I wanted to revisit this one, fully expecting it to be just as good.
But it's not.
Which is not to say that this book is bad. There are some really heart-warming scenes and like many others, I still find Dimple's parents the true heroes of the story. But revisiting the younger characters as an adult really changed my perspective.
Additionally, while I appreciate the author's incorporation of LGBTQ+ characters in the story, I think some of the scenes were really clumsily handled. Language means everything and she misses the mark here.
Finally, there's really no need for this book to be this long. So much of the book is over-written and tangential, and could have easily been corrected with solid editing. Still, there's a lot of nostalgia associated with this book for me. Overall, enjoyable!
I loved this book as a teenager, perhaps heavily influenced by the fact that it was one of the only books where I felt represented as a South Asian girl. And after reading some sloppier YA books with a South Asian protagonist in recent years, I wanted to revisit this one, fully expecting it to be just as good.
But it's not.
Which is not to say that this book is bad. There are some really heart-warming scenes and like many others, I still find Dimple's parents the true heroes of the story. But revisiting the younger characters as an adult really changed my perspective.
Spoiler
First, Karsh is nowhere near as perfect as I initially thought. His relationship with Gwyn reeks of "savior complex" and honestly, Dimple deserves better. But even more alarming is what an awful friend Gwyn is. I don't understand why Sabina's point about Gwyn culturally appropriating wasn't taken further. And even when Dimple called her out on it at the end, it seemed like Dimple somehow walked away feeling like she was just as guilty. Adult me so badly wanted Dimple to walk away from that friendship.Additionally, while I appreciate the author's incorporation of LGBTQ+ characters in the story, I think some of the scenes were really clumsily handled. Language means everything and she misses the mark here.
Finally, there's really no need for this book to be this long. So much of the book is over-written and tangential, and could have easily been corrected with solid editing. Still, there's a lot of nostalgia associated with this book for me. Overall, enjoyable!