As part of the selective Tennis Club's membership committee, Raj has a goal: make the Tennis Club more diverse. But after three days of interviews in which the white members of the committee stand by as he's the target of microaggressions, he's accused of racism. While teaching anthropology the next day, he's accused of reverse racism. Everything in his life falls apart over the next week as he considers his place in society.
I have a lot of thoughts about this book. Overall, it was compulsive; I was interested in the premise and on edge about what situation Raj would find himself in next. That said, Raj was a well-written unlikeable character who didn't grow. To me, the book succeeds most as a character study: who Raj is and how he reacts to situations; I didn't feel like I saw him really become Raj through the flashbacks - he was always the same. The writing teetered between funny, sentimental, and semi-academic, but at the end I felt that something was missing.
It takes on important topics, including navigating delicate misunderstandings, speaking up for oneself, and reacting to media backlash. That said, Raj is an envious person who doesn't think before he speaks. He spends the novel detailing other people's successes (and, usually, why they don't deserve it) while skimming over anything unflattering in his own past. He's reactive more than active, and though the time frame of the book, because it takes place over one week, offers little chance for him to grow, he's the same in college flashbacks - reacting rather than acting, allowing things to get past him, occasionally blowing up, not thinking, envying others. The flashbacks themselves were strangely sentimental even when they were violent, in part because they were so heavily narrated.
Sometimes this book is funny, sometimes it's cringe-worthy. Other times, it name-drops theorists without exploring their ideas; it's unclear if the book expects readers to be familiar with those theories or assumes that they'll be disinterested in a true discussion of theory - but both options are elitist, by either assuming readers will have an academic background or that they won't be interested.
I struggle with this book, because sometimes I think maybe all of my indifference to Raj is the point; he's that well-written of a character. His lack of growth makes sense, because that feels more slice of life, but it's frustrating because there are opportunities for the flashbacks to show how he developed, instead of just showing him repeating similar mistakes - thinking before he speaks, overemphasizing appearance, keeping quiet until he reaches a breaking point. I read the whole thing quickly, so it was compelling enough to keep me going and even driving me forward, though that wasn't the case through the beginning of the book and really only hit about halfway through. Overall, I appreciate much in this book, but it fell short of what I hoped for it.
I have a lot of thoughts about this book. Overall, it was compulsive; I was interested in the premise and on edge about what situation Raj would find himself in next. That said, Raj was a well-written unlikeable character who didn't grow. To me, the book succeeds most as a character study: who Raj is and how he reacts to situations; I didn't feel like I saw him really become Raj through the flashbacks - he was always the same. The writing teetered between funny, sentimental, and semi-academic, but at the end I felt that something was missing.
It takes on important topics, including navigating delicate misunderstandings, speaking up for oneself, and reacting to media backlash. That said, Raj is an envious person who doesn't think before he speaks. He spends the novel detailing other people's successes (and, usually, why they don't deserve it) while skimming over anything unflattering in his own past. He's reactive more than active, and though the time frame of the book, because it takes place over one week, offers little chance for him to grow, he's the same in college flashbacks - reacting rather than acting, allowing things to get past him, occasionally blowing up, not thinking, envying others. The flashbacks themselves were strangely sentimental even when they were violent, in part because they were so heavily narrated.
Sometimes this book is funny, sometimes it's cringe-worthy. Other times, it name-drops theorists without exploring their ideas; it's unclear if the book expects readers to be familiar with those theories or assumes that they'll be disinterested in a true discussion of theory - but both options are elitist, by either assuming readers will have an academic background or that they won't be interested.
I struggle with this book, because sometimes I think maybe all of my indifference to Raj is the point; he's that well-written of a character. His lack of growth makes sense, because that feels more slice of life, but it's frustrating because there are opportunities for the flashbacks to show how he developed, instead of just showing him repeating similar mistakes - thinking before he speaks, overemphasizing appearance, keeping quiet until he reaches a breaking point. I read the whole thing quickly, so it was compelling enough to keep me going and even driving me forward, though that wasn't the case through the beginning of the book and really only hit about halfway through. Overall, I appreciate much in this book, but it fell short of what I hoped for it.