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A review by myjourneywithbooks
Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian
4.0
4.5⭐️
Neil Narayan is a second generation Indian American teenager whose parents moved to the US for a better life. They have high expectations for Neil and, with a perfect older sister setting the bar, Neil can feel the pressure. Then he stumbles across a secret that his neighbour and crush, Anita Dayal, is harbouring. Anita seems to have it all, the brains and the beauty. But it turns out that this is thanks to an ancient alchemical potion Anita and her mom have been brewing in their basement, the main ingredient of which is stolen gold which is used to leech the ambition and success of its original owner. Neil convinces them to let him join and is basking in the benefits the potion brings him...until tragedy strikes.
The second part of the book takes place years later, when Neil and Anita, now adults, have lost touch with each other. Anita contacts Neil out of the blue, requesting for help in a gold heist for a final potion that is the only thing that will be able to save her mother.
A fascinating and original story that uses magical realism to tell a very convincing story of the immigrant experience. From community gossip to societal pressure to the competitiveness and ambition children sometimes have to take on to fulfill the roles expected of them, the book examines the reality of the American dream, but there is also much for anyone to relate to, even if you're not the offspring of immigrants looking for a better life.
The thing with some magical realism is that the magical part is so out of this world that you definitely know its fictitious. But in this case, it is incorporated into the story in such a manner that has you believing it could be possible.
The combination of the flawless prose and the flawed characters will draw you in and keep a firm grip on your interest. The satire and the subtle social commentary is spot on and though the two parts of the story had slightly different tones, I enjoyed both in different ways.
Neil Narayan is a second generation Indian American teenager whose parents moved to the US for a better life. They have high expectations for Neil and, with a perfect older sister setting the bar, Neil can feel the pressure. Then he stumbles across a secret that his neighbour and crush, Anita Dayal, is harbouring. Anita seems to have it all, the brains and the beauty. But it turns out that this is thanks to an ancient alchemical potion Anita and her mom have been brewing in their basement, the main ingredient of which is stolen gold which is used to leech the ambition and success of its original owner. Neil convinces them to let him join and is basking in the benefits the potion brings him...until tragedy strikes.
The second part of the book takes place years later, when Neil and Anita, now adults, have lost touch with each other. Anita contacts Neil out of the blue, requesting for help in a gold heist for a final potion that is the only thing that will be able to save her mother.
A fascinating and original story that uses magical realism to tell a very convincing story of the immigrant experience. From community gossip to societal pressure to the competitiveness and ambition children sometimes have to take on to fulfill the roles expected of them, the book examines the reality of the American dream, but there is also much for anyone to relate to, even if you're not the offspring of immigrants looking for a better life.
The thing with some magical realism is that the magical part is so out of this world that you definitely know its fictitious. But in this case, it is incorporated into the story in such a manner that has you believing it could be possible.
The combination of the flawless prose and the flawed characters will draw you in and keep a firm grip on your interest. The satire and the subtle social commentary is spot on and though the two parts of the story had slightly different tones, I enjoyed both in different ways.