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bullockae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit
harymouck's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sophisticated prose, well-developed characters, darkly witty, highly original concept. There's a long, slow section in the middle that almost made me give up, but I''m glad I persisted because the ending is just beautiful. Will definitely read more from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, and Colonisation
Minor: Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Vomit, and Grief
emoryscott's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, and Suicide
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Alcohol
amphytrite's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Gun violence
Moderate: Cursing and Suicide
Minor: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Dementia
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
courtsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation
Minor: Vomit
zombiezami's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Dementia, and Fire/Fire injury
wenwanzhao's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
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
5.0
Magical realism has always been my favourite genre. It is nice to imagine that in a world that looks like mine, there can exist mystical things deemed improbable by scientific explanation. Sanjena Sathian expertly weaves her creative point of magic into the world she has written. The concept of "gold digging" is explored not only through the gold lemonade concoctions created by Anjali, but in the history Neil uncovers, in the music the teens listen to, in the culture and gossip of their community.
Sathian writes about a culture familiar to me and many others. The pressure and desire to do well, to fit in and succeed in the world, is immense. If all the edge you needed to win was skimming the gold off of the success of others, would you do it? It's easy to say that I would not. Any drug will hurt more than it helps. The withdrawal effects of the gold drink seemingly never going away. Even still, the question lingers...
The writing in the novel is very satisfying to me. It doesn't try too hard to sound pretentious or smart, and doesn't fall into the trappings of trying to be too modern or relatable either. The narration Neil gives is clearly coloured by his perspective, but leaves room for greater understanding of other characters. The two time periods that the characters reside in are ones that remain distinct in my mind in different ways. Sathian doesn't explicitly drop details about 2006 or 2016, but the little things she does include bring me back to those respective times all the same.
The story detailed to us in Gold Diggers is odd and yet, of perfect sense.It is about two people still hooked on a golden drug, trying to save the lives of the woman who helped them first. It is also about the lengths people will go to attain the immigrant dream. It is also about a guy figuring out his place in his family and country. It is worthy of endless analysis, critique, and discussion.
Sathian has written one of the best books released this year. Gold Diggers is funny, empathetic, and harsh, like the real immigrant experience is.
Sathian writes about a culture familiar to me and many others. The pressure and desire to do well, to fit in and succeed in the world, is immense. If all the edge you needed to win was skimming the gold off of the success of others, would you do it? It's easy to say that I would not. Any drug will hurt more than it helps. The withdrawal effects of the gold drink seemingly never going away. Even still, the question lingers...
The writing in the novel is very satisfying to me. It doesn't try too hard to sound pretentious or smart, and doesn't fall into the trappings of trying to be too modern or relatable either. The narration Neil gives is clearly coloured by his perspective, but leaves room for greater understanding of other characters. The two time periods that the characters reside in are ones that remain distinct in my mind in different ways. Sathian doesn't explicitly drop details about 2006 or 2016, but the little things she does include bring me back to those respective times all the same.
The story detailed to us in Gold Diggers is odd and yet, of perfect sense.
Sathian has written one of the best books released this year. Gold Diggers is funny, empathetic, and harsh, like the real immigrant experience is.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Sexual content
Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, and Vomit