A review by loverofvenus
American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar

emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

look, i found value in reading this book, but i had chosen it for my english class's independent novel study and my presentation was absolutely mortifying. it was, frankly, entirely my fault for being ill-prepared, but if you're doing a book report—don't choose YA. just choose a "classic" and read the sparknotes study guide like everyone else.

american betiya is about rani kelkar, a highschool student living in illinois. she's the daughter of indian immigrants. the book explores her struggle to reconcile american and indian values through her romantic relationship with a kid called oliver. rani, like many of us, isn't allowed to date, but when a guy finally takes interest in her, she decides to do so anyway. oliver is the tall, white, tattooed painter. his home life isn't great but for the most part, he seems like a sweet guy. they went on "dates" during their lunch period and bonded over their shared love of art. but, as the two fall further and further into love, oliver's microaggressions strain their relationship more and more. 
from oliver calling rani "jaz," to dressing her in a sari for sex. this all culminates in the breaking point in their relationship—oliver invites rani to a showing of a mural of his and, as it turns out, the mural is of rani. rani in that sari from when they had sex in her father's car, her words written next to her, "my parents honestly wouldn't understand / i just really needed to see you / my family's super traditional / you know i love you / i couldn't let you in / my mom informed me that we're going to india / i take pride in my insecurities." oliver sees her & her family as oppressive. he refuses to have a nuanced perspective on the goings on of her life. and he defintely has a brown girl fetish. their breakup coincides with the death of rani's grandfather and, heartbroken, she travels to india for the mourning period. the book ties up with rani running into oliver at her photography display and rejecting him for the final time.


as a desi girl myself, i found this book quite interesting. indians are constantly de-sexualized, so seeing a brown girl being fetishized was new and offered an interesting experience for me to consider.
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