I’d heard great things about this book when it came out. And I’m happy to say it lived up to the praise!⁣
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At first, I wasn’t sure it would. A good part of the beginning was spent setting the scene: people doing things, telling facts of a story, introducing the characters. I was worried the writing was going to be dull.⁣
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But Satyal quickly pulled all of that together and showed his intention with it. He begins to reveal what’s going on a layer deeper and the histories that brought each character to the present. You start to see their feels and understand them as individuals with stories. This layered approach was an awesome storytelling technique.⁣
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This book is about how every person has a story. How the surface view belies the depth of the person. It’s about how all our narratives interconnect, sometimes in meaningful ways and other times just fleeting. And how friendships and community come together to bring out the best in each of us.⁣
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Also, this book is 100% gay and 100% about the experience of Indian American immigrants and their families. I adored this intersection and learning from these characters.⁣
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I’m excited about Satyal, and fully plan on picking up his first book Blue Boy.⁣

Cross-posted from my #bookstagram: @brianreadsbooks