I was intrigued by the premise of this novel - an Indian-American man makes a racist comment in an effort to connect with the only other non-white man in his tennis club. I assumed the fall out would be the meat of the plot, but it's actually simply one piece of Raj's very bad week. What follows is an examination of racism, nationalism, and academia through the eyes of one man, one family, one community. I do wish Pandya would have delved a little deeper into Raj's life and experiences as a brown man in America, and a few characters felt glossed over, but it was still thought-provoking.
While not exactly what I expected (although one shouldn't really start a novel with expectations), Members Only was a good read.
While not exactly what I expected (although one shouldn't really start a novel with expectations), Members Only was a good read.