kimb2 's review for:

A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

4.25

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I really enjoyed the Secret Daughter by this author and this book has been making the rounds and it didn’t disappoint.

The story highlights the importance of being true to oneself and that the American dream is not all it’s cracked up to be.  Wealth, fake friendships, big houses and fancy cars don’t make one happy and that is the most important lesson these characters learn.

Powerful themes of immigration, racial profiling and coming of age under parents who grew up in a different culture are explored as are the importance of family and community.

Priya and Ashok are so blinded by the American Dream that they fail to see the truth of what is actually going on around them.  It isn’t until their youngest child is arrested that they begin to realize what is truly important.  

While so much is going on the story,  it isn’t long and is an excellent example of a character study.  My only comment is that there may be too many characters and at times, it’s hard to keep them all straight.