susanneb01 's review for:

A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

4.0

emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This novel touches many interesting dilemmas and current social issues. Front and center is racism, here specifically towards the son of an immigrant family from India. The well educated parents left India and its discriminating cast system behind to find the American dream: a successful career, a house in the right neighborhood, good schools for their kids and social acceptance. They felt so close to achieving it when their twelve year old son is naively caught up in an illegal activity and mistreated by the police and press, unraveling their sense of belonging and security. Other topics include the second generation immigrant problem of walking a fine line between cultures; intracultural blindness to “otherness”, in this case being on the spectrum; intercultural prejudices and family dynamics. It’s a quick read, albeit the writing and plot feel at times a bit hurried.