After her mother's death, Maneka Roy returns to India from America after 12 years. She finds herself in a new world, where the once-rural town of Hrishipur is prospering with money flowing from Western investors and rising Indian wealth. Through the lenses of different characters connected with Maneka, Mukherjee brilliantly portrays a modern India divided by class and education.

I particularly resonated with Maneka's POV. As someone who's nearing my 10th year leaving Taiwan, the longing to return home, the feeling of being slowly unanchored, the uncertainties of drifting away from my culture & family, and the alienations when I'm being called "you Americans" are beautifully explored in DREAM BUILDERS.

I also adore the juxtaposition of modern India and rural America, and how from the lenses of the characters in DREAM BUILDERS, Maneka's quiet suburban life sounds a bit "backward-country-y."

DREAM BUILDERS is an impressive debut that explores family, identity, gender roles, and survival in a city that is rapidly modernizing and increasingly Americanized.

Thank you to librofm for the ALC.