America For Beginners by Leah Franqui
Release Date: July 24, 2018
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: Fiction
Source: Edelweiss
Description from GoodReads: “Pival Sengupta has done
something she never expected: she has booked a trip with the First Class India
USA Destination Vacation Tour Company. But unlike other upper-class Indians on
a foreign holiday, the recently widowed Pival is not interested in sightseeing.
She is traveling thousands of miles from Kolkota to New York on a cross-country
journey to California, where she hopes to uncover the truth about her beloved
son, Rahi. A year ago Rahi devastated his very traditional parents when he told
them he was gay. Then, Pival’s husband, Ram, told her that their son had died
suddenly—heartbreaking news she still refuses to accept. Now, with Ram gone,
she is going to America to find Rahi, alive and whole or dead and gone, and
come to terms with her own life.
Arriving in New York, the tour proves to be more complicated
than anticipated. Planned by the company’s indefatigable owner, Ronnie Munshi—a
hard-working immigrant and entrepreneur hungry for his own taste of the
American dream—it is a work of haphazard improvisation. Pavil’s guide is the
company’s new hire, the guileless and wonderfully resourceful Satya, who has
been in America for one year—and has never actually left the five boroughs. For
modesty’s sake Pival and Satya will be accompanied by Rebecca Elliot, an
aspiring young actress. Eager for a paying gig, she’s along for the ride,
because how hard can a two-week "working" vacation traveling across
America be?
Slowly making her way from coast to coast with her unlikely
companions, Pival finds that her understanding of her son—and her hopes of a
reunion with him—are challenged by her growing knowledge of his adoptive
country. As the bonds between this odd trio deepens, Prival, Satya, and Rebecca
learn to see America—and themselves—in different and profound new ways.”
Pival Sengupta is a recent Bengali widow who had been
trapped by custom and tradition in a loveless and unhappy marriage. She decides to buck custom and go to
America soon after her husband’s passing.
Her tour guide is Satya, an immigrant from Bangladesh. And she has requested a companion for
propriety: Rebecca a twenty-something, white, struggling actress. Together they are to make their way from
New York to California. In
California, where Pival will end her trip and her search for her son, the truth
of his life and his death.
This book started out very strong. I picked this up looking for an atmospheric travel-centered
novel. And in the beginning it
totally delivered. Its
descriptions of New York and Kolkata were rich and transporting. It felt like you were experiencing the
culture of New York that these people lived in and the drastically different
culture of Kolkata that Mrs. Sengupta lived in. It shed light on the characters as well as the place.
The characters were well-developed. I thought the cultural differences in
the characters were very interesting.
And I felt like the descriptions of America from Bangladeshi immigrants were
enlightening and a fresh perspective. But I didn’t particularly like any of the
main characters. I particularly
disliked Rebecca, the girl who ends up travelling with Satya and Mrs. Sengupta.
She was just an American stereotype.
There were allusions to her sleeping around daring you to contradict
that it was anything but fine – when it obviously wasn’t fine not even to
her. She was always drinking and I
don’t know it just got to me. I
vaguely liked a few people, but can’t really list them without giving things
away. But mostly I just felt sorry
for them. Mrs. Sengupta was
probably my favorite because she learned and grew, albeit very slowly. But most of them didn’t. It was kind of depressing most of the
way through. The end was somewhat
redeeming, but it was pretty predictable. The other places they visited on
their tour were vague descriptions and not anything like the immersion from the
beginning.
Strong beginning, good characterization, but in the end it
just didn’t connect with me.
Entertainment Value: 3
Characters: 4
Voice: 3
Plot: 2
Overall 3 stars
See all my reviews @ www.mamaneedsabook.blogspot.com
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