Sonia and Sunny are two Indian immigrants trying to make a life in America. Both use relationships to escape their loneliness in a country they haven’t quite acclimated to. Sonia gets taken advantage of by a much older artist. A rake who siphons her energy when he refuses to return a family heirloom she left behind, finally finding the success he sought with it in his possession. When Sonia has a breakdown just before entering her toxic relationship, her grandfather tries to arrange a marriage with Sunny, his neighbor’s grandson. Unbeknownst to Sonia’s grandfather, he’s off the market. Cohabitating with a white woman, who accuses him of putting curry in all their meals. Apt, being that their initial spark stems from denigrating his culture. Beautiful, young and caught in the crosshairs of the mother land versus the American dream, the writers end up meeting after all. Their connection is life altering.
Almost 700 pages, this book spans some years over the course of the protagonists lives. Jumping between their stories and those of their families. Dealing with three generations on either side, the themes covered are: magical realism, intergenerational curses, caste & classism, xenophobia, individuality, domestic violence and sexism. This story is set in the 90’s and early aughts, being politically correct isn’t a thing. Women are unflinchingly objectified and the racism is rampant.
This book left me thinking about identity, how it shifts with your environment: epoch, the people surrounding you, the physical landscape. Sonia & Sunny are trying to define who they are instead of letting others do it for them. Once that’s established, they have to find the voice to speak up against the push back and declare it. It’s very introspective, for the characters and the readers. With their traditional family dynamics serving as a cautionary tales of what happens when you fall in line, and how that correlates to happiness. Are you being selfish or brave? Via: The Week
Updated: 8/21/2026 11:19pm
