by Shilpa Somaya Gowda
Published October 20th 2015 by HarperAvenue
Finished 10.15.16
This is one of those books you sort of get swept up in, with its quiet brand of storytelling about a culture very different from my own. The audio narration was excellent with the variation in voices extremely well done.
Anil is the oldest son in an Indian family, expected to do great things with his life; and he goes to Houston to learn to become a doctor. Long hours in the hospital, falling in love with an American, a stuttering problem, never feeling like he quite fits in. After many years, though, he feels the same way whenever he goes back home.
Leena was his childhood friend to whom he always felt a special connection. Her story in India highlights why dowries have been outlawed in India (I hadn't known that before) and how despicably women are treated in their culture (this I have heard, unfortunately). Not all women, but those unlucky to have been poorly matched can be treated like dogs and can lose everything. There is always something to learn, something to gain, when reading about other cultures, and that's what makes it so enjoyable.
Some parts were difficult but overall a really good story. 3.5 stars.
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