This was one of my TBRs that I was especially excited for – with good reason!
Simran Mehta, an Indian-American woman, is studying Psychology at grad school. She’s had a book published and she’s engaged to her high school sweetheart Kunal, a future doctor. Her life is in order – until she meets Neil, a successful newspaper columnist.
The book also follows Simran’s mother Nandini and her grandmother Mimi. Although the primary story is Simran’s, I loved that this book was an intergenerational tale. Nandini and Mimi’s voices and journeys really fleshed out the novel and helped paint a cohesive picture of the pressures and issues many Indian women face today.
Saumya Dave explores some great themes: family, love, courage, race, identity. I liked the emphasis on mother-daughter relationships, particularly within Indian culture. Both familial and romantic relationships form the centre of the book, but at its core the focus is on the characters’ personal journeys.
Simran’s family have high expectations and place a lot of pressure on her. It was interesting how multi-layered this was: Nandini’s expectations of Simran damage her, just as Nandini has been damaged by the expectations of her own family and peers. Watching them both fight to realise then follow their own desires and paths really emphasised just how difficult it can be.
As a half-Indian British woman, I found some of the themes surrounding Indian culture familiar. I liked reading about Simran’s experience in the U.S. It made me think about how the experiences of first or second-gen immigrants from the same country might differ, depending on the location they ended up in.
I really enjoyed this wonderful debut by Saumya Dave, and I can’t wait to read more of her work in the future!
Mila's Bookshelf 