Pival Sengupta finds herself in limbo. Once a meek Indian wife who never ventured outside of the bounds of Kolkata, she is now newly widowed and viewing her life without her husband in a very different and somewhat daring light. After the disownment and apparent death of her son, (as reported by her husband and which she is too skeptical to believe) and against the pleas of her staff and acquaintances, Pival makes the decision to travel to the Unites States and make a cross-country trek from New York City to Los Angeles to find her son, Rahi. Her plan involves either “straightening” her son out and bringing him home to Kolkata or killing herself. No in between.
After making her travel arrangements and enlisting the services of First Class USA Destination Vacation Tour Company, Pival is left in the care of her hired guide Satya, and her companion Rebecca. Satya, a young immigrant from Bangladesh (a very important distinction for Indians of which Satya is implored to keep confidential), is just trying to find his own version of the American Dream. With no opportunities presenting themselves in his native country, Satya is surviving in the US with his street smarts, cunning underhandedness, and a dogged work ethic. With this very new and daunting job, Satya wants to prove his ability and worth in order to carve out a stable place for himself in such a shaky world. Rebecca, an actress in her late 20s, struggling (and failing) to find theater gigs in the cut-throat world of Broadway, is offered the chance to make some easy money and travel the US. All she has to do is accompany an old Indian widow on her vacation, as a means of maintaining the widow’s virtue. Simple.
On this trip of a lifetime, each of these people must face their own skeletons and will ultimately decide if their pasts will determine the rest of their lives.
I was originally drawn to this book for two reasons:
- It follows a trio of people from very different backgrounds as they make their way on a cross country adventure from the East coast to the West coast of the United States. This was especially appealing currently because my husband and I went on a similar expedition this summer, traveling from Los Angeles to southern Virginia. Though we stopped in different cities than the characters along the way, I still connected with the feelings of exhilaration about experiencing all of the different cultures, sites and human connections the US has to offer. If you enjoy books about adventure and characters who find themselves when traveling the world, you might want to check this one out!
- I’ve always held a fondness for anything about India. This has evolved over time, starting around my tweens and continuing into adulthood. My Sweet 16 birthday party involved seeing Bend It Like Beckham at the movie theater with all of my friends, then dining at our local Indian restaurant Nawab Indian Cuisine, where I learned there is a significant difference between spicy and Indian spicy (a lesson one party-goer learned the hard way). More recently our school held an event called Culturefest, where individual classrooms choose a country they would like to research and present on to the entire school. The students decorate their classrooms, cook native dishes, and share what they’ve learned with their peers and other teachers as they tour the school. My homeroom chose to present on India (I may have snuck in a vote or two to make this happen). I can honestly say authentic naan is on my Top 10 List of Favorite Carbohydrates and there was NO shortage of that during our event.
This book also explores the similarities and differences in the relationships people develop, in both American and Indian cultures. The complexities and expectations of parents for their children is definitely a theme in America for Beginners. Though they might vary in some ways, parents generally have very similar wishes for the happiness and success of their kids, no matter where they come from. The romantic relationships described in this book also explore how different versions of the same feelings can be. This is most poignant in the relationship between Rahi and Jake.
I very much enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it as a “all-the-feels” kind of read. 4 stars!
If this sounds like your kind of read, you can check it out at:
