Pandya's novel is a timely, yet timeless, look at race, prejudice and the dangers of herd mentality. When Dr. Raj Bhatt, a native of Bombay, accidentally makes a rascist comment to a black man at the California tennis club where he is a member, he finds himself both annoyed and ashamed at how hard he felt he needed to try to make a connection with another person of color. But when Raj is also accused of reverse racism by students at the local university where he teaches, he finds himself in a strange place. Raj begins analyzing not only his career, but tries to reconcile his love and pride of his culture with the angry comments he reads on a video of him that has gone viral.
Pandya really made Raj a strong and powerful voice of the strength and confusion of words and belonging and how easily people can mix their perceptions of something with the actual facts. Nowadays, information is so often gained by social media, but this information is often accompanied by an inaccurate portrayal of what happened and shaped by the comments left by others. Readers of this book are also confronted with the idea that even those in the majority can feel discriminated against, but how much is too much? These ideas are presented in accessible language and everyday situations that allow readers to put themselves in the shoes of a variety of characters. It is easy to ask yourself "What would I do in this situation" as you read.
Raj was a likeable character and I really appreciated that he always had some measure of confidence in himself throughout the book, regardless of what was happening. The book takes place in one week and it did seem like maybe too little a space for everything that occurred. I think it may have been an even stronger novel if it spanned more than seven days. But that is the only fault I found in the book and recommend it to readers of a variety of interests, including those that like contemporary fiction or cultural fiction. I do have to say that I wasn't a real big fan of the cover, as both the title and image lead to an understanding that the book is more about tennis than it actually is. I do understand, however, that the title can be a metaphor for race relations.
Pandya really made Raj a strong and powerful voice of the strength and confusion of words and belonging and how easily people can mix their perceptions of something with the actual facts. Nowadays, information is so often gained by social media, but this information is often accompanied by an inaccurate portrayal of what happened and shaped by the comments left by others. Readers of this book are also confronted with the idea that even those in the majority can feel discriminated against, but how much is too much? These ideas are presented in accessible language and everyday situations that allow readers to put themselves in the shoes of a variety of characters. It is easy to ask yourself "What would I do in this situation" as you read.
Raj was a likeable character and I really appreciated that he always had some measure of confidence in himself throughout the book, regardless of what was happening. The book takes place in one week and it did seem like maybe too little a space for everything that occurred. I think it may have been an even stronger novel if it spanned more than seven days. But that is the only fault I found in the book and recommend it to readers of a variety of interests, including those that like contemporary fiction or cultural fiction. I do have to say that I wasn't a real big fan of the cover, as both the title and image lead to an understanding that the book is more about tennis than it actually is. I do understand, however, that the title can be a metaphor for race relations.