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annreadsabook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an interesting and overall enjoyable novel—it looks at the experiences of Indian Americans and the many ways that immigrant experiences are filled with striving, dreaming, and dealing with the expectations of one’s family. And here’s the twist: the main character, Neil (Neeraj) has stumbled upon his classmate and her mother cooking up a concoction that gives whoever drinks it the success they desire.
I think this book is sometimes marketed as being a “fun” read and I’m not sure I agree with that…the magical realism element itself is fun, I suppose, but most of the substance is quite serious and weighty. In general, I found this a creative tale that interweaves magical realism with real lived experiences. I will say that Neil was not a particularly likable character (I feel that was a goal of Sathian’s, though) and there was one early plot point that kind of confused me and felt incredible even when I suspended my disbelief…Ultimately, a solid read but I’m not sure that this “wowed” me in the way I was hoping.
If you’re interested in magical realism, this might be for you! Please do check out the content warnings for this as there is some heavy content.
I think this book is sometimes marketed as being a “fun” read and I’m not sure I agree with that…the magical realism element itself is fun, I suppose, but most of the substance is quite serious and weighty. In general, I found this a creative tale that interweaves magical realism with real lived experiences. I will say that Neil was not a particularly likable character (I feel that was a goal of Sathian’s, though) and there was one early plot point that kind of confused me and felt incredible even when I suspended my disbelief…Ultimately, a solid read but I’m not sure that this “wowed” me in the way I was hoping.
If you’re interested in magical realism, this might be for you! Please do check out the content warnings for this as there is some heavy content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Suicide
Moderate: Bullying, Drug abuse, and Drug use
kinomatica's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Colonisation, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Addiction, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, and Grief
Minor: Gun violence
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I finished this book with some mixed feelings, but I’d say it was an enjoyable read overall.
To start with some positives. I enjoyed reading from Neil’s perspective, especially because Sathian put so much attention to the things he was observing around him. It would be such small details, but it added so much to our understanding of who he was as a person. She also has a great sense of humor that she inserted into Neil’s character, and I found myself smiling a handful of times due to the way he reacted to what was happening around him. It really brought to life his character in particular, and you would get aspects of this in other characters as well, such as Anita. Tangentially, I appreciated that she found a great balance between humor and seriousness. While being funny at times, Sathian did a wonderful job approaching heavier topics with grace.
I also really enjoyed the commentary around Indian American life, particularly growing up in an immigrant community. And I loved that Sathian showed how messy it can get. Being Asian American myself, I really sympathized with the gossiping that occurred in a small community, the pressure of meeting parents’ expectations, and just the general feeling of “lostness” that comes with being the child of immigrants. There was this ongoing question that was posed throughout this book, which was what it meant to be Indian and American. It’s a tough question, and I thought Sathian did a wonderful job expressing that identity crisis Neil went through (as well as others), trying to work that out.
My main issue with the book was the handling of the story. I felt as though there were one too many moving parts that ended up making the book feel disconnected. As a result, I found myself finishing the book feeling a little unsatisfied because there were a few things that felt unresolved. It didn’t ruin the overall reading experience, but I found myself longing for more than what was given.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Eating disorder, Violence, and Vomit
anneshamitha's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
There was a lot of interesting stuff in here, but ultimately I think the story was sabotaged by its very milquetoast sad boy narrator. I also thought for a book concerned about history it left caste off the hook - it’s a light read, I didn’t need it to be a polemic, but it did feel like an omission. In general it was kind of a glitter bomb of a book. Lots of misses, especially in the second half. It shone when it explores the lives of overachieving Desi kids, that pressure cooker adolescence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Suicide
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Gold Diggers is the story of Neil, the son of Indian immigrants to the United States. As a teen he struggles to live up to their high expectations, until he discovers that his crush Anita and her mother are alchemists, using stolen gold to make a “lemonade” that passes the ambition of the gold’s owner onto the drinker. The second half of the book jumps forward more than a decade to when Neil is a graduate student. He crosses paths with Anita again. Both could benefit from some lemonade but Anita’s mother needs it more. For some reason this half of the novel didn’t work as well for me. Having said that I definitely enjoyed the jewellery heist and the historical fiction thread that was interwoven. I thought alchemy was a clever way to explore issues like assimilation, the model minority, ambition, pursuit of the American dream, and issues connected to second generation immigrants. The often satirical and slightly snarky tone worked well for me. I appreciated the fact that it was original, and entertaining while still being thought provoking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Suicide
elchiang78's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Suicide
meredith_williams_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Eating disorder
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, and Alcohol
peepmybookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicide
kates_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked the start of this book — it was a bit slow but an interesting look into the life of a young boy struggling under the weight of his parents’ and community’ expectations. However, the book quickly became quite depressing. it was frustrating to watch Neil struggle with various forms of addiction. He once says that he feels to much. But I felt a certain toxic masculinity to this statement. There was no accountability for his actions. No desire to learn how to cope. No emotional intelligence. . I did like the ending. We finally saw character growth. Overall I feel like my rating is pretty generous. There were times I almost DNF the book, but despite its darkness, I liked that it was a unique story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, and Alcohol