Chika Gujarathi

FictionPopular Fiction

Polite Society

Review by Chika Gujarathi

India is the second most populous country on this planet, with the world’s largest democracy—yet most conversations about India seem to dance around its spicy food or perhaps a yearning for a spiritual voyage. Mahesh Rao’s Polite Society adds something fresh, funny and insightful to the age-old chatter about this fascinating country by detailing the world of the uber-rich who call it home.

Channeling his love for Jane Austen’s commentary and observations on relationships, society and power, Rao’s American debut takes us into the inner sanctum of 20-something Ania Khurana, who is a member of the wealthiest upper echelon of the capital city of Delhi (and perhaps all of India). Ania’s life resembles that of a Hollywood celebrity, complete with designer clothes, lavish parties and paparazzi. Born into privilege, Ania is an aspiring author whose motivation is slightly lacking. Her newest obsession is playing matchmaker for her muse and friend, Dimple, who is neither rich nor privileged. In Ania, we see some of the same qualities that make Austen’s Emma so irresistible: She’s self-absorbed yet compassionate, impatient yet persistent.

Supporting characters (such as Ania’s widowed father, Dileep; Ania’s childhood friend Dev, who is least affected by his wealth; the fame-chasing reporter Fahim; and a bevy of women of a certain age) complete a picture of what it’s like to chase happiness in a society riddled with codes and an endless supply of money. 

Hilarious, scandalous and fascinating, Polite Society adds an interesting, modern layer to a complex culture.

India is the second most populous country on this planet, with the world’s largest democracy—yet most conversations about India seem to dance around its spicy food or perhaps a yearning for a spiritual voyage. Mahesh Rao’s Polite Society adds something fresh, funny and insightful to the…

Science Fiction & FantasyFictionFantasy

Hollow Kingdom

Review by Chika Gujarathi

Kira Jane Buxton’s hilariously philosophical and formidable first novel, Hollow Kingdom, tackles humankind’s most existential questions.

Narrated by a foulmouthed, Cheetos-loving pet crow named S.T., the story starts in Seattle, Washington, where a terrible virus has turned all humans into zombies. When S.T.’s owner, Big Jim, succumbs to the virus’ effects, S.T. leaves the only home he has known to find some answers and possibly a cure. What he learns, however, is gut-wrenching. The human race as he knew it has ceased to exist, destroyed by their own addiction to technology. What now roams the earth are not humans but rather highly mutated and heinous creatures whose only purpose is to destroy.

World annihilation doesn’t necessarily make for a fun read, except perhaps when told by a domesticated crow that has watched a lot of TV and thinks himself half-human. Equally fascinating is the odd squad of dogs, cats and other birds who have joined S.T. in this post-apocalyptic odyssey. There might not be humans or the world wide web anymore, but that doesn’t really seem to matter, as Buxton does a stellar job of anthropomorphizing the novel’s animals and adding drama, suspense, tragedy and hope. It’s amazing that such a bizarre and far-fetched story can connect so deeply with our reality and its discussions about social media, climate change, immigration and self-identity.

It doesn’t get any weirder, funnier or better than Hollow Kingdom.

Kira Jane Buxton’s hilariously philosophical and formidable first novel, Hollow Kingdom, tackles humankind’s most existential questions.

FictionPopular Fiction

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune

Review by Chika Gujarathi

Summer beckons a reading list that is as light, fun and feel-good as the season itself. Roselle Lim’s Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune definitely fits that need. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Lim’s debut is the story of 20-something Natalie, who has just returned home to the worst news possible: the unexpected passing of her mother, Miranda. Her shock and sadness are compounded by the guilt of parting ways seven years ago over a disagreement that now seems extraneous.

Natalie had wanted to become a chef, a profession that Miranda profoundly opposed even though her own mother had once owned the most famous restaurant in all of Chinatown. But Natalie found it hard to comply with her mother’s wishes; she was young and full of dreams. So for Natalie, there was no other choice but to leave her mother and Chinatown. Seven years later, here she stands in her childhood apartment, without a mother and without the culinary degree that was more elusive than she had assumed. Sharing Natalie’s bad luck is the neighborhood itself, with its failing businesses and gentrification.

But this is a story of luck and fortune, so it isn’t long before Natalie is given a chance to fix it all. She inherits her grandmother’s restaurant, a space boarded up under the very apartment where she grew up, along with a surprising heirloom from her mother: her grandmother’s cookbook, which reads more like a book of spells than recipes. Together they reveal the secrets of the past and the possibility of what the future might hold. Will this be enough to breathe life back into Natalie’s heart and her neighborhood?

Lim’s magical storytelling, excellent cast of supporting characters and mouth-watering recipes make this book a must for your summer reading list.

Summer beckons a reading list that is as light, fun and feel-good as the season itself. Roselle Lim’s Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune definitely fits that need. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Lim’s debut is the story of 20-something Natalie, who has just returned home to the worst news possible: the unexpected passing of her mother, Miranda.

FictionLiterary Fiction

A Job You Mostly Won’t Know How to Do

Review by Chika Gujarathi

Parenting isn’t easy even under the best of circumstances, but what Taz and Marnie have is an unfinished fixer-upper, a dwindling bank account, no permanent job prospects and a baby scheduled to arrive any day. But new beginnings are in the air, and Taz and Marnie are excited to embark on this next phase of their marriage, put down roots and grow a family.

When Marnie dies unexpectedly in childbirth, Taz’s already shaky world collapses completely, and the birth of his beautiful daughter, Midge, gets swept up in the death of the love of his life. But Taz’s best friend, Rudy—a forever cheerful, funny, handy and generous man—turns out to be an excellent babysitter, grocery shopper, cheerleader, job assistant and whatever else Taz needs.

Best of all, Rudy introduces Taz to Midge’s new nanny, Elmo. She is hardworking, witty and loving—basically, the bright spot in an otherwise melancholy life. But when Elmo starts filling the spaces left behind by Marnie, Taz is quick to push her away. After all, how could he even begin to think about moving on?

A tender tale of loss and fatherhood, Pete Fromm’s A Job You Mostly Won’t Know How to Do is a beautiful story about what happens when your village comes to the rescue and gives you a second chance at happiness.

A tender tale of loss and fatherhood, Pete Fromm’s A Job You Mostly Won’t Know How to Do is a beautiful story about what happens when your village comes to the rescue and gives you a second chance at happiness.

FictionShort Stories

Joy

Review by Chika Gujarathi

If you are in search of a story collection that feels as transformative and satisfying as a novel, then look no further than Erin McGraw’s Joy. The 53 stories that make up this book are very short, each one barely lasting more than a couple of pages, narrated by 53 different characters who share a glimpse into their state of mind.

However, what the stories lack in length, they more than make up in their profundity and emotion. In fact, it is exactly their shortness that makes the reader use their imagination to fill in the gaps and draw conclusions that may or may not be the same for all. A wide variety of characters—ranging from a pet sitter to a wedding gown saleswoman to a dental office assistant to an anxious first-time mom to a first-time murderer—provide a fantastic variety of voices, as well as different perspectives of life’s biggest pursuit: happiness. Some have it, some don’t, and yet they all have a good story to tell, each tale both mundane and profound.

What makes Joy truly special is how easily McGraw gets in your head. The stories resonate long after they end, each time making the reader wonder, “Would I have handled it differently?”

A terrific pick for a book club, Joy is bound to impress.

If you are in search of a story collection that feels as transformative and satisfying as a novel, then look no further than Erin McGraw’s Joy. The 53 stories that make up this book are very short, each one barely lasting more than a couple of pages, narrated by 53 different characters who share a glimpse into their state of mind.

FictionPopular Fiction

Queenie

Review by Chika Gujarathi

At the start of Candice Carty-Williams’ debut novel, Queenie Jenkins has just endured a messy breakup with her longtime boyfriend. A 25-year-old Jamaican-British woman living in London, Queenie is funny, clever and curvaceous. First to finish college in her family, she has landed a respected job with the local newspaper, where she hopes to do big things. But when her white boyfriend, Tom, unexpectedly ends their relationship, Queenie spirals through a series of self-destructive decisions until her self-worth is down in the dumps.

Helping her navigate the doldrums—as well as a series of terrible choices in men from online dating apps—are perhaps some of the best girlfriends a person could ask for. Queenie is lucky to be surrounded by caring friends, family and boss. But that doesn’t stop her from constantly questioning how her race, the color of her skin and the size of her body will ever be good enough. Queenie, in essence, is every modern black woman who has ever questioned her abilities and her place in this world. 

With resonant reflections on race, relationships, sex and friendships, Queenie is a terrific debut that’s delivered with a touch of British humor and plenty of feel-good moments.

At the start of Candice Carty-Williams’ debut novel, Queenie Jenkins has just endured a messy breakup with her longtime boyfriend. A 25-year-old Jamaican-British woman living in London, Queenie is funny, clever and curvaceous. First to finish college in her family, she has landed a respected job with the local newspaper, where she hopes to do big things. But when her white boyfriend, Tom, unexpectedly ends their relationship, Queenie spirals through a series of self-destructive decisions until her self-worth is down in the dumps.

FictionFamily Saga

Gingerbread

Review by Chika Gujarathi

If Gingerbread is your first Helen Oyeyemi novel, then there is something you need to know. You are about to love a story that you may or may not understand. It straddles the familiar and the world of make-believe so remarkably well that you may be left believing in that which doesn’t quite exist, while questioning what you consider to be facts about family, friendships and, of course, gingerbread.

We follow the life of a girl named Harriet Lee, daughter of Margot and Simon, who grows up in the land of Druhástrana amid the idyllic wheat fields, in a life of serfdom to the wealthy and legendary Kercheval family. But Druhástrana, once a powerful small nation, seems to have fallen off the map, and now only exists as a myth for the rest of the world. No way in. No way out.

Or so it seems—until Margot gets a message via a homing pigeon from a very distant cousin in Britain (also a wealthy Kercheval), who somehow comes across a video clip of Harriet and sees promise in the young girl. He wants to rescue the Lees, so to speak, and thanks to Margot’s magical gingerbread, Harriet and Margot are able to leave Druhástrana, but with a new debt to the Kerchevals.

That was then, and this is now. Living in a seven-story walk-up apartment, Harriet is now 34 years old and a mother to a very curious 17-year-old named Perdita. Will Perdita be the reason that Harriet and Margot are finally forced to revisit their Druhástranian roots? And were they really able to escape their history while forging a new life in Britain?

Thoroughly strange yet absolutely mesmerizing, the sixth novel from award-winning Oyeyemi is the perfect escape.

We follow the life of a girl named Harriet Lee, daughter of Margot and Simon, who grows up in the land of Druhástrana amid the idyllic wheat fields, in a life of serfdom to the wealthy and legendary Kercheval family. But Druhástrana, once a powerful small nation, seems to have fallen off the map, and now only exists as a myth for the rest of the world. No way in. No way out.

FictionDebut FictionComing of Age

Something Like Breathing

Review by Chika Gujarathi

Set on a remote Scottish island in the 1950s, Angela Readman’s Something Like Breathing tells the story of Lorrie and Sylvie, two girls so different from each other that they might have never exchanged a word if it weren’t for their shared fences.

Their friendship begins shortly after Lorrie’s parents uproot their city life and move into her mother’s childhood home on the island to be closer to Lorrie’s aging grandpa, a local whisky distillery owner. Living next door are Bunny and her daughter, Sylvie, who is Lorrie’s age but is aloof, awkward and mysterious.

Soon, Lorrie becomes Sylvie’s refuge from her overbearing mother, and Sylvie becomes Lorrie’s escape from her despondent parents and the dull island life. But even in such an intimate friendship, Sylvie and Lorrie aren’t anything like the oversharing teenage girls we might imagine. In fact, they never seem to discuss their woes. Lorrie never questions why Bunny is so unbearably strict with Sylvie. Sylvie never brings up her secret gift or Lorrie’s home life or questionable dates. Like breathing, their friendship is at once muted yet so essential to their survival.

Something Like Breathing bounces between Sylvie’s diary entries and Lorrie’s recollections to reveal fascinating characters, multiple layers and a perfect finish.

Set on a remote Scottish island in the 1950s, Angela Readman’s Something Like Breathing tells the story of Lorrie and Sylvie, two girls so different from each other that they might have never exchanged a word if it weren’t for their shared fences.

FictionPopular FictionDebut Fiction

The Red Address Book

Review by Chika Gujarathi

Many of us think of the past as the “good old days,” and for 96-year-old Doris Alm, there is almost a century’s worth of good days to keep track of. Feeling that her end is near, Doris decides to revisit the names in her address book and unload her memories of each person on paper, with the hope that they are passed down to her only living family, her grandniece Jenny, who has loved and admired Doris all her life.

So begins Sofia Lundberg’s The Red Address Book, with a very fragile Doris recalling a life with people long dead. We start in 1928 Stockholm, when Doris is only 10 years old, and move on to her days as a model in Paris in the 1930s, then to New York City, where she hopes to reunite with the love of her life. She later heads to England, where she is rescued off a sinking ship, and finally returns to Stockholm, where she types her final pages for Jenny.

With love and humor, Doris’ stories prove that the good old days are often filled with a lot of regret, pain and heartache. But what the heart chooses to remember is our perseverance through the most impossible of challenges. Just when Lundberg has led you to believe that Doris has said all there is to say, Jenny delivers an ending that even Doris could have never imagined.

Like a cozy conversation with your grandma, The Red Address Book warms your heart and soul.

 

This article was originally published in the January 2019 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Many of us think of the past as the “good old days,” and for 96-year-old Doris Alm, there is almost a century’s worth of good days to keep track of. Feeling that her end is near, Doris decides to revisit the names in her address book and unload her memories of each person on paper, with the hope that they are passed down to her only living family, her grandniece Jenny, who has loved and admired Doris all her life.

FictionHistorical Fiction

Little

Review by Chika Gujarathi

BookPage Top Pick in Fiction, November 2018

It might not be so wrong to review Edward Carey’s new novel, Little, with the simple declaration that it is exceptionally good. Filled with delightfully macabre illustrations, Little is about the journey of Marie Grosholtz, a rather odd-looking, diminutive child born in a tiny Swiss village in 1761. An orphan by the time she is 8, Marie finds herself in the care of the equally lonely and eccentric Dr. Curtius, a wax sculptor for the village hospital.

There, amid the real bones and organs, Marie is not scared but instead intrigued and anxious to learn the magic of plaster and wax to replicate anything at all. Soon, the master and his little apprentice escape to Paris, where they meet Widow Picot and her son, Edmond. With a head for business, the widow knows how to cash in on Dr. Curtius’ skills, and the Monkey House is born as a spectacle for the locals to marvel at wax heads of famous (and infamous) personalities. Money and fame follow, but not for Marie, whose unseemly looks overshadow her artistic talents, and she is banished as a worthless servant and denied money, power and love.

If this seems dark, it’s because it is. But Carey portrays Marie as one of the most ambitious characters you will ever meet. She is funny and kind, but above all, she is relentless in her pursuit of opportunities, which she first finds as a teacher to a princess at Versailles, then as a sculptor of wax head castings during the bloody French Revolution and later as the legendary Madame Tussaud. Marie is little only in name.

An irresistible tale, Little will please all readers, especially those who love period adventures and old-fashioned stories of triumph over human folly.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our Q&A with Carey for Little.

This article was originally published in the November 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

It might not be so wrong to review Edward Carey’s new novel, Little, with the simple declaration that it is exceptionally good. Filled with delightfully macabre illustrations, Little is about the journey of Marie Grosholtz, a rather odd-looking, diminutive child born in a tiny Swiss village in 1761. An orphan by the time she is 8, Marie finds herself in the care of the equally lonely and eccentric Dr. Curtius, a wax sculptor for the village hospital.

FictionLiterary Fiction

Waiting for Eden

Review by Chika Gujarathi

National Book Award finalist Elliot Ackerman’s latest novel, Waiting for Eden, is narrated by an unnamed soldier who died in the line of duty in Iraq but lingers to tell the story of his friend, Eden, and Eden’s wife, Mary.

Eden earned the nickname “BASE Jump” from his platoon after he leaped from the third deck one night, heavily intoxicated, but somehow landed on his feet. Beyond this incident, however, luck has been a stranger in Eden’s life.

Having enlisted in the military to escape the vapid life of a small Midwestern town, Eden soon encounters another disappointment, this time in his marriage to his high school girlfriend, Mary, as they struggle to have a child. Mary is desperate and willing to do anything to give Eden the child he wants and to keep him from re-enlisting. Mary succeeds in getting pregnant, but Eden figures out that he isn’t the father. Once again, to escape his woes, Eden leaves for Iraq, where his Humvee hits a pressure plate, killing all of his comrades, including his best friend and the father of Mary’s baby.

In the three years since the accident, the formerly 220-pound Eden has been reduced to 70 pounds and is in a vegetative state. On one side of the veil waits Mary and her daughter; on the other waits the narrator.

Ackerman has given us a war story that is packed with love, pain and guilt, but above all, it is a meditation on the legacies we leave behind.

 

This article was originally published in the October 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

National Book Award finalist Elliot Ackerman’s latest novel, Waiting for Eden, is narrated by an unnamed soldier who died in the line of duty in Iraq but lingers to tell the story of his friend, Eden, and Eden’s wife, Mary.

FictionFamily Drama

The paralytic, his wife and their helpful new pet

Review by Chika Gujarathi

The “still life” in Katharine Weber’s new novel is Duncan Wheeler, a 37-year-old successful Connecticut-based architect who receives life’s worst surprise when a car crash leaves him mostly paralyzed with a C6 spinal cord injury. The “monkey” is Ottoline, a female tufted capuchin monkey, close to 25 years old, who arrives from the Primate Institute of New England to help Duncan get used to his new reality. Connecting the two is Laura Wheeler, Duncan’s wife, whose profession as an art restorer at Yale University has made her the perfect person to also delicately restore her husband’s will to carry on.

The idea of a helper monkey at first seems ridiculous to Duncan (and even to Laura), like something made up for a Hollywood movie. But Ottoline proves them wrong almost instantly. Her ability to follow Duncan’s commands brings back some amount of solitude and privacy that he had sorely missed since his accident. Soon the Wheelers also realize that Ottoline’s mischievous nature is somewhat filling the gaping hole left by the child they never had.

But a still life with a helpful and loving monkey is still just that, and Weber expertly weaves Duncan’s internal conflict throughout the novel, constantly making the reader wonder if he will find the strength to continue living in his new circumstances and carry on with a will to make new legacies. Most importantly, Still Life with Monkey begs the question, “What would I do in this situation?” It’s a question that lingers long after the book ends.

 

This article was originally published in the September 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

The “still life” in Katharine Weber’s new novel is Duncan Wheeler, a 37-year-old successful Connecticut-based architect who receives life’s worst surprise when a car crash leaves him mostly paralyzed with a C6 spinal cord injury. The “monkey” is Ottoline, a female tufted capuchin monkey, close to 25 years old, who arrives from the Primate Institute of New England to help Duncan get used to his new reality. Connecting the two is Laura Wheeler, Duncan’s wife, whose profession as an art restorer at Yale University has made her the perfect person to also delicately restore her husband’s will to carry on.

FictionPopular FictionDebut Fiction

Cheers to the rest of your life

Review by Chika Gujarathi

After graduating from a prestigious business school in Berkeley, California, Hannah Greene is on her way to becoming the proverbial peg in the ever-churning wheel of a coveted New York investment firm—albeit a rich peg, who also happens to be in a serious relationship with her handsome, smart and wealthy boyfriend, Ethan. In short, for a Midwesterner with a less-than-stable childhood, Hannah has built a life that is rather perfect.

But as they say, home is where the heart is, and for Hannah, even with perfection laid out before her in NYC with Ethan, there is something amiss. She realizes what that is during a relaxing and romantic weekend with Ethan at an Old World winery in Sonoma. The Bellosguardo winery, its friendly dog named Tannin and an even friendlier bartender are all so charming that Hannah agrees, almost instantly, to give up her lucrative future—and possibly her relationship with Ethan—in lieu of a questionable marketing position with the struggling winery. It’s a business she knows nothing about, with employers who seem to have questionable dreams and desires of their own. What could possibly go wrong?

In The Shortest Way Home, Miriam Parker explores the persistent question of whether grass is truly greener on the other side, and whether following the heart will lead you where you belong. This is a story that wine lovers and big dreamers will devour.

After graduating from a prestigious business school in Berkeley, California, Hannah Greene is on her way to becoming the proverbial peg in the ever-churning wheel of a coveted New York investment firm—albeit a rich peg, who also happens to be in a serious relationship with her handsome, smart and wealthy boyfriend, Ethan. In short, for a Midwesterner with a less-than-stable childhood, Hannah has built a life that is rather perfect.

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