Book Description
In Mansi Shah’s stunning debut novel, a family tragedy beckons a first-generation immigrant to the city of her birth, where she grapples with her family’s past in search of where she truly belongs.
After her parents moved her and her brother to America, Preeti Desai never meant to tear her
family apart. All she did was fall in love with a white Christian carnivore instead of a conventional Indian boy. Years later, with her parents not speaking to her and her controversial relationship in tatters, all Preeti has left is her career at a prestigious Los Angeles law firm.
But when Preeti receives word of a terrible accident in the city where she was born, she returns to India, where she’ll have to face her estranged parents…and the complicated past they left behind. Surrounded by the sights and sounds of her heritage, Preeti catches a startling glimpse of her family’s battles with class, tradition, and sacrifice. Torn between two beautifully flawed cultures, Preeti must now untangle what home truly means to her.
My Summary
One of the neatest things about reading is learning about a completely different culture than my own. What I found especially fascinating were the similarities her culture, family and familial expectations are to my own. I have added some of the quotes below, but oh my, I could feel the truth of her words because some of my life experiences are not too different. Especially that first one, as uncomfortable as it makes me, I have constantly felt like I was being judged. Judged, but not just by my "sea of brown people" but also white folks.
My first language was Spanish, although I do not really have an accent but sometimes, I say words "wrong". And I have definitely been glared at for speaking Spanish in public with my mom. As I have grown, I have learned that all I can be is myself. Some are going to dislike me because of who I am but that is not my problem. And if being bilingual is so off-putting to someone that they are going to glare at me and my 75+ year-old-mama well that's just too bad for them.
This book is definitely worth the read, and I hope you will read it. Mansi Shah has a new book titled, "The Direction of the Wind" and I look forward to getting lost in that story soon!
Notable Quotes
"It's like being in a sea of brown people who all seem to be judging me for not being brown enough."
"...my father had made sure I understood that I needed to work twice as hard to get half as far as a white peer,"
"I quickly learned that being foreign was the worst thing you could be in America."
"Lakshmi was the goddess of prosperity, wisdom and light."
"In our culture, there was no greater showing of respect than to tend to a guest's food and tea needs."
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