One year after his father passed away, Akash returns home to say goodbye to his mother, who is leaving for England, the house sold. The chapters alternate from him to his mother, as they recount their past, articulating their respective secrets for the first time in their lives. Both are crippling unhappy. They lash out against one another rather than try to understand one another, stuck in self-destructive patterns.

There is a deceptively complex story here. Dealing with racism, brown bodies, immigrants, trying to make a new life. Being a closeted gay man, and the irreparable damage of siloing aspects of your identity.

Plot readers may struggle with this. It’s character driven, but does have some plot. It’s primarily concerned with interiority, which is usually my preference. Because the characters are always concerned with their tale, it’s also not that interested in situating itself in place, and the time is usually in their past, rather than present. This suited the story well. There’s the impression that they are always dwelling in memory. Physicality is typically distant, like they aren’t full embodied. At least, not yet.

If you’re interested in the themes and how the story is framed, perspective wise, you’d probably like this as much as I did. This was far more affecting and effective for me than, say, Love Marriage.