In her debut novel, Mathews achieves what so often seems to be impossible: a deeply felt novel of ideas, for lack of a better phrase. Any pronouns. But Saraswati argues that the identity she has taken on is not a lie, at times so convincingly that Nivedita almost agrees with her. We ship anywhere in the U.S. and orders of $75+ ship free via media mail! Mathews rendered the precarity of a recession as a vehicle for a precise critique of capitalism, through the lens of a queer South Asian narrator who is on a work visa and unsure of whether she will be able to stay in the US, while her parents have already been deported to India. But to test this bias, I thought I'd give this multi prize-nominated book a try. Arnica on my cuts, my mother holding me aloft by a single thin brown arm while I wailed. such a *MALAYALI* book, that should have said. | ISBN 9780593489130 What a packed paragraph, every detail meaningful. Kindred to Brandon Taylors stellar Real Life, this novel burrows deep. Booklist (starred review) Mathewss poignant and illuminating debut centers on an aloof 22-year-old Indian immigrant whose first job out of college brings her to the Midwest . CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | These things can upend a life. There are few high jinks in IDENTITTI (368 pp., Astra House, $27), Mithu Sanyals provocative and knotty debut. At 22, Sneha graduates from college into a tanked economy. All This Could Be Different a book by Sarah Thankam Mathews $24,690,561.38 raised for local bookstores All This Could Be Different Sarah Thankam Mathews (Author) FORMAT Hardcover English $27.00 $25.11 Paperback English Large Print $29.00 $26.97 Available add to cart add to wishlist Description What starts as a story about romantic love quickly turns into one about the power of community, how the people we surround ourselves with can together be the great love of our life. 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTONE OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES TOP 5 FICTION BOOKS OF THE YEARONE OF TIME AND SLATES TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR Named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2022 byNPR, Vogue, Vulture, BuzzFeed, Harpers Bazaar, and more One of the buzziest, most human novels of the yearbreathless, dizzying, and completely beautiful. Vogue Dazzling and wholly original[written] with such mordant wit, insight, and specificity, it feels like watching a new literary star being born in real time. Entertainment Weekly From a brilliant new voice comes an electrifying novel of a young immigrant building a life for herselfa warm, dazzling, and profound saga of queer love, friendship, work, and precarity in twenty-first century AmericaGraduating into the long maw of an American recession, Sneha is one of the fortunate ones. Smudge into sameness.. Its got a bit of a new adult type vibe and so its a little more sweet than I generally care for. WHAT? All Rights Reserved. Instead, she has crafted a character so eloquent in her argument that the reader has no choice but to agree with Nivedita when she says, Everything you say is right but what you did is still wrong.. A lost job. A beautiful and capacious novel rendered in singular, unforgettable prose, All This Could Be Different is a wise, tender, and riveting group portrait of young people forging love and community amidst struggle, and a moving story of one immigrants journey to make her home in the world. Its title also becomes a rallying cry, the core of Tigs beliefs that they can and should try to build a better life, one in which burdens can be shared and not dealt with in painful isolation. So even its ending doesnt feel like a conclusion so much as an embrace and a gentle nudge forward. by i cant wait to read it again. But so much of this book is also about eschewing endings, about imagining the future and also recognizing the way other people ripple-effect our lives. . A beautiful and capacious novel rendered in singular, unforgettable prose, All This Could Be Different is a wise, tender, and riveting group portrait of young people forging love and community amidst struggle, and a moving story of one immigrant's journey to make her home in the world. She's moved to Milwaukee for an entry-level corporate job that, gruelling as it may be, is the key that unlocks every door: she can pick up the tab at dinner with her new friend Tig, get her college buddy Thom hired alongside her, and send money to her parents back in India. The best description Ive seen from people is that it is a quintessentially millennial novel, one that captures the angst of dealing with work, love, friendship, money, and family. Everything about it was just so effortlessly but meticulously wrought, the characters vivid, relatable, and incredibly real. Shes moved to Milwaukee for an entry-level corporate job that, grueling as it may be, is the key that unlocks every door: she can pick up the tab at dinner with her new friend Tig, get her college buddy Thom hired alongside her, and send money to her parents back in India. Shellys planned metal box of a house becomes the center of her world. Trouble signing in? . The question may seem preposterous many would instinctively cry out, It just is! but for Sanyal it is one that begets other questions, ones about immigration, gender, theory, love. All This Could Be Different is quietly epic. Robert Jones, Jr., author of The ProphetsSharply observed and deeply empathetic, All This Could Be Different is a gorgeous story of dreaming and daring against the odds. Copyright . just the blistering sense of having looked into the sun. Overall I would read this, it's an amazing debut with a stunning cover, I know I will think about it frequently. | 638 Minutes All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews is out now. its themes are universally relatable at any age. Rolling Stone Snehas equally vulnerable and cutting narration of new friendships, new romances, and generally figuring it out captures the queer, immigrant experience unlike any other. Harpers BazaarCrafting a coming-of-age story about a queer character enduring post-capitalism with a gimlet eye, [Mathews] is simultaneously hilarious, tender and meaningful. Los Angeles Times, 5 Best Fiction Books of 2022A wholly original exploration of queer friendship and the demanding, incredible realities of communal living, Sarah Thankam Mathews convinces the reader that yes, maybe all this could be different after all. Vulture,The Best Books of 2022 [What] initially blew me away was the clarity of Mathews writing and the accuracy with which she describes experiences Id previously taken for granted. and GAAAAAAAYYY. https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/. | ISBN 9780593607596 A first generation/immigrant queer protagonist who is as imperfect, perfectionistic, worried, aimless as so many other millennials I know / love / am. Pre-publication book reviews and features keeping readers and industry in English. Sneha moves to Milwaukee, where she tries on adulthood like an ill-fitting suit. -- Lauren Groff, author of FATES AND FURIES Sarah Thankam Mathews' prose is undeniable and hyper attuned to the terrible privacy of the mind. But S is not the typical coming-of-age protagonist. For Nivedita, Saraswati is not just a supervisor, but an object of obsession, and learning of her deception is a brutal blow to the trust Nivedita had in her mentor. In February 2020, Sarah Thankam Mathews was struggling to write a novel; freelancing wasn't going so great . I was so taken by the narrative voice, I couldnt put the story down. . This book has an odd way of placing the white characters on a pedestal and saddling the Black characters with racist tropes (what was the purpose of Tig not being able to read?) But most of all, these friendships and relationships just feel blisteringly real in their highs and lows. Painful secrets rear their heads; jobs go off the rails; evictions loom. Itd be easy to say Sneha belongs to two worlds at once, her lives twinned but separate. The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother. [written]with tenderness and exhilaration. ElleAll This Could Be Different is easily a contender for Book of the Year. Observer [A] novel so good I was torn by the incompatible desires to never set it down and never finish it . Will you help? Keeping everyone you care for at arms length is grueling work, but its the only way S knows how to be. In ASUS Chromebook Flip - All Models - Laptops , you could find most appropriate Laptops based on product features, specification or price. Instead of asking for the things she wants, instead of consensually exploring desires she deems too much , unattainable, Sneha stays silent, performs. But also, lets talk about those queer sex scenes. I credit her prose, pacing, and structure with keeping me completely pulled in. The depiction of Snehas depression and isolation felt so familiar, and I enjoyed so much of Mathews metaphorical writing. Lives in Brooklyn, New York. Just for joining youll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members. As all best-laid plans are wont to do, this one does not go exactly as expected. We Need to Raise $175,000 Or We Won't Survive! All This Could Be Different: A Novel by Sarah Thankam Mathews Details Author Sarah Thankam Mathews Publisher Viking Publication Date 2022-08-02 Section New Hardcover - Fiction Type New Format Hardcover ISBN 9780593489123 "All This Could Be Different is a bildungsroman, a gorgeous queer love story, and a musing on labor and immigration. Show more Ratings Friends & Following I am not the right reader for a book about twenty-something relationship angst. That's fantastic. All This Could Be Different: A Novel Hardcover - August 2, 2022 by Sarah Thankam Mathews (Author) 592 ratings Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction See all formats and editions Kindle $14.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover $19.92 29 Used from $13.49 34 New from $14.95 Paperback . always great to see another queer brown lady here. Start earning points for buying books! Sneha was the perfect narrator and a main character you can't help but root for in every sense of the word. This trajectory seems to happen quickly and slowly all at once. 1,276 Likes, 78 Comments - Sen | Bookstagrammer (@whatsenalireads) on Instagram: " BONE NECKLACE Author : @juliasullivanauthor Genre : Historical fiction Do I rec." And it is a testament to the strength of the character writing that I genuinely feel like I could read about them for much longer, that I didnt want the story to ever end. Mathews expertly captures and elevates the position of being a young queer person in the post-recession U.S. with many more questions than answers. VogueEngrossing . Debut novel All This Could Be Different, shortlisted for the 2022 National Book Award, Discover Prize, Aspen Literary Prize. . Sneha repeatedly withholds emotional truth from her friends, refuses to open that clamshell, sees herself and her feelings as a burden. This is very fascinating, Youre a very professional blogger. The writing is electric, Mathews really uses language in new ways. She clings to familial expectations even as theyre at odds with who she is at her core. career). not like all my choices are mortgaged to the people who have made my life possible, After this exchange, blue and green reemerge, Sneha using vague memories of her Intro to Physics course to try to break apart the particles and waves of her life. Resplendent with intelligence, wit, and feeling. Yummy, yummy prose, and such a valuable entry into the floundering women in their 20s genre because it wasnt afraid to explore the structural issues behind why people in their 20s feel the way we do, it didnt end with hopelessness, emphasized community, and also wasnt another white woman protagonist! . But why, exactly? His comments came after three U.S. banks have collapsed, as federal authorities organized major banks to deposit $30 billion into First Republic Bank FRC, -32.80% to stave off a fourth. Its then that Tig begins to draw up a radical solution to their problems, hoping to save them all.A beautiful and capacious novel rendered in singular, unforgettable prose, All This Could Be Different is a wise, tender, and riveting group portrait of young people forging love and community amidst struggle, and a moving story of one immigrants journey to make her home in the world. The strive to create a safer, and more comfortable sex-toy shopping experience for the Queer community and more specifically gender non-conforming, trans and non-binary people. Showing 1 to 3 of 5 entries. One time when Sneha and Marina are fucking, Sneha internally remarks on feeling like she knows all the right things to do with Marina, her body moving as if by instinct. Online Returns If youre looking for your next great queer Millennial read, this is it. BookRiotSarah Thankam Mathewss All This Could Be Different is a deeply honest and compelling testimony. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) She was abused by a close family relative in her childhood. A more nervous writer, one who lacked Sanyals confidence, might cast Saraswati as an inarguable villain. In the manner of books that stay with you forever, All This Could Be Different is a singular story that extends beyond itself. I need one of my libraries to hurry up and get the. The dark and light sides of friendship breathlessly explored in a novel best saved for summer beachside reading. You've decided to leave a comment. I needed to take time to process everything about this one, because so much was covered. Sarah Thankam Mathews I have heard of this book but never really got a chance to read it. As, Now Im even more excited to read this! I was immediately captivated by its rhythms. The latter is the case in Amy Fusselmans THE MEANS (242 pp., Mariner Books, $27.99), a plucky jaunt of a novel that follows Shelly Means, a stay-at-home mother of two in Manhattan who is hellbent on building a second home in East Hampton. All This Could Be Different is smart, layered, and often very serious, but it is also very horny (and none of those things contradict each other but rather work together). influencers in the know since 1933. She brings one of those college buds along, Thom, her white boy bro. The movement of memory in the book also has a distinct and memorable rhythm, such as this bang of a flashback when Sneha accidentally cuts her finger opening a can of chickpeas (RELATABLE): The sting of it against my little gash, a time machine. Autostraddle cannot exist without the generous support of our readers. a searing portrait of the joys and pains of being a young adult in turbulent times. DebutifulI deeply appreciated Mathewss choices in this booktoward nuance, toward lyricism that elevates queer emotions, toward being present in the complex reality of straddling cultural expectations between family and community . I want to reread this book purely from a craft standpoint. and doesnt like nonbinary people? Email info@harvard.com, Online Customer Service Mathews can be deeply moving at the same time that she is funny; she dips into slang in a way that feels lyrical and rhythmic . I loved this book. This tendency toward silence and secrets peaks when she accidentally falls into a lie that her parents are dead. Its the height of the mid-2000s recession, and Snehas immigrant parents have been deported to their native India. She has no intention of answering those questions for us, choosing rather to leave her readers with that collegiate thrill of having to figure it out for ourselves. And when they fail, they keep trying. According to three debut novels: A house in the Hamptons, a mentor she can trust, to "be a slut." John Gall By Olivia Craighead Sept. 29, 2022 Self-identification is a maze of thorns. For the most marginalized members of society, it can be downright dangerous; for the more privileged, it can be a farce. And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week. Sneha longs for India just as she feels out of place while there. Autostraddle needs to raise $175,000 over the next 2 weeks or we wont be around long enough to even make it to Pride. On the one hand, this book is simply a feat. Sneha struggles to be truly close and open with anybody, even as her friendships deepen, even as she throws herself headlong into a dizzying romance with Marina. . And with Marina, a white girl dancer who Sneha immediately places on a pedestal, she has at first a long circuitous dyke opera of a maddening crush and repeated chance run-ins where nothing really happens . and also doesnt understand communism? . When Marina catches Sneha in a lie and demands an explanation, Sneha says, Because I am a trash person and a coward. In her prose, Mathews can be deeply moving at the same time that she is funny; she dips into slang in a way that feels lyrical and rhythmic. [A] thoughtful exploration of how the legacies of trauma make an impact. Publishers Weekly All This Could Be Different is an extraordinary novel, spiny and delicate, scathingly funny and wildly moving. Complicated memories blooming like little bruises. Translated from the German by Alta L. Price, Identitti is a bracing story, one in which Sanyal refuses to give us the easy way out. Through exquisite observations, Sarah Thankam Mathews reflects on the gift of having people you can count on, who anchor you through newchapters.NPRsBooks We Love The novel is told in first person from Snehas perspective and broken into four sections titled I, They, She, We. Mathews has a wonderful eye for the things that make friendship and community just as valuable as romance and also for how friends can come together and fall apart just as easily as the lovers in a romantic comedy. [She] somehow tackles the big abstractionscapitalism, gender, sexuality, Western individualism, etc.while at the same time imbuing her characters with such real, flawed humanity that they seem ready to walk right off the page. Not to make comparisons with other authors but the writing is so great that even if you are personally well beyond this life stage yourself it is still a beautiful read and the characters are developed in a way that means youre rooting for them rather than annoyed with them when they self-sabotage. Their interpersonal conflicts are inseparable from the more overarching systemic ones that impact them in varied ways. It is the kind of book one should read not only to be entertained or impressed, but also to feel less alone. Sanjena Sathian, author of Gold Diggers, Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from Penguin Random House, Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network. . Even the title has twin meanings. All This Could Be Different $23,008,530.76 raised for local bookstores All This Could Be Different Sarah Thankam Mathews (Author) FORMAT Hardcover English $27.00 $25.11 Paperback English Large Print $29.00 $26.97 Available add to cart add to wishlist Description LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION All This Could Be Different is her rst novel. Buy, Aug 02, 2022 This book just wasn't for me. I guess a lot of people might be looking for similar things in a book, but this one is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. They all bring their baggage to the table, and when the characters fight in this book, its as meaningful and deep-seated as when they connect. sharp sexy prose. Hopefully it wont be too much longer before I get to the front of the hold line at the library. LGBTQ Television Guide: What To Watch Now, The Autostraddle Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema, All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews is out now, A Queer Read on Tatiana Maslanys She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, Youtube Retire Bitch: More Internet Haikus, Here Be A Giveaway: Tickets to the Lesbians Who Tech Summit For Three Entire Humans, Into the A+ Advice Box #80: GENDER FEELINGS, A Day of Fallen Night Is the Most Satisfying Queer and Trans Fantasy Book Ive Ever Read, Cambridge 2019-05-31: Femfinite: The Femme Show 2019, Style Thief: How to Dress Like Riverdales Jughead Jones, Boobs on Your Tube: Station 19s Lasagna Love Story Finally Puts Maya and Carina Back on Track, SXSW 2023: Toxic Friendships & Stan Culture Get Bloody In Amazons Swarm, Also.Also.Also: Please Let Queer People Grow Old. A family member in need of help. An infected tooth. She needs a Japanese toilet and a heated pool. Retrieve credentials. Sarah ThankamMathews grew up between Oman and India, immigrating to the United States at seventeen. Membership Advantages Media Reviews Reader Reviews Attempting to live in some version of our own truths can be daunting. Libraries near you: WorldCat. Some are affected by addiction or proximity to it (the writing about addiction throughout the novel is honest and empathetic). But they try. This book made me feel A LOT. [asking] questions that have consumed innumerable 20-somethings . I think with 100 more pages we could have seen more developed relationships between the characters, which would help with the framing of Tig's great idea. Youve described my biggest problem reading fiction about adolescents (and 22 is late adolescence) the more accurate the portrayal, the more stressful it is for me to read. Shipping SHARE THIS STORY MORE FROM The 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 Stay True The Book of Goose Mouth to. Its going to be made out of shipping containers.. a moving immigrants story and a heartfelt queer love story that tackles socioeconomic issues with nuance . Were glad you found a book that interests you! the National Book Awards, and more, National Book Foundation > Books > All This Could Be Different, Sarah ThankamMathewsgrew up between Oman and India, immigrating to the United States at seventeen. When Thom pontificates on his Marxist kill-the-ruling-class ideology, Sneha goads him into admitting his parents are doctors. . What Saraswati did, her so-called racial drag, is wrong. Sarah Thankam Mathewss tender and beautiful prose renders the story unforgettable. The Millions Moving . I think now if a friend were to come to me experiencing difficulty with another friend, I might press this novel into their hands. . She begins dating women--soon developing a burning crush on Marina, a beguiling and beautiful dancer who always seems just out of reach. It is so boring to believe art cannot be both erotic and political. . ), that world is turned upside down. 9781474624770: ALL THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT: 1474624774 - AbeBooks Mathews with one T: the Keralite way. Mathews is a completely original voice that is, by turns, fierce, witty, musical,poignant,and, yes, deeply sexy. The characters in All This Could Be Different self-sabotage and self-harm, but these chaaotic choices are often symptoms of the state-sanctioned violences that grip their lives: racism, unaffordable healthcare, xenophobia, homophobia, strictly enforced gender binaries, patriarchy, and more. Sneha goes from having enough money to live comfortably while sending some overseas to her parents and picking up the tab for her less financially stable friends to watching her bank account dwindle dangerously close to zero, running calculations on how many days she can live on Wendys chicken sandwiches and secretly shopping at a food bank. Identitti) is a mixed-race blogger and doctoral candidate in postcolonial studies, working under the brilliant and enchanting Saraswati, a rare star of academia whose celebrity extends beyond her campus. During a rift with Thom, Sneha laments there arent movies she can sink herself into that contend with friendship breakups; romantic breakups take up more space in heartbreak narratives. . Yay! [Mathews] skillful alternating between lush imagery and straightforward, plain language makes All This Could Be Different pulsate . Its about friendship and work, two things which so rarely get treated with such nuance and care in fiction. . . Buy. Her work has been published in Best American Short Stories and she is a recipient of fellowships from the Asian American Writers' Workshop and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Behind Ryles veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. All Rights Reserved. Shes moved to Milwaukee for an entry-level corporate job that, grueling as it may be, is the key that unlocks every door: she can pick up the tab at dinner with her new friend Tig, get her college buddy Thom hired alongside her, and send money to her parents back in India. Number of pages: 320. The writing is really good. [All This Could Be Different]will sneak up on you and grab your heart. San Francisco Bay Times[A] bildungsroman, an immigrant story, a heros journey not to be missed. Lit HubWith stunning prose and metaphors that made me literally gasp, Mathews unpacks the impossible mental task, especially for folks with many intersecting identities, of distilling a lifetime of experiences and traumas into one concrete personality, all while trying not to be crushed under the psychological weight of capitalism. I did fall into it right from the start, thanks to the complexity of the main character, Sneha, someone who finds herself all alone in a no-mans-land between two cultures (really three), without a strong enough sense of self to claim even a tiny bit of ground for her own. GENERAL FICTION. It is breathtaking in its beauty and profound in its meaning. . Trashy romances, chick lit, thrillers, highbrow literature can all earn the coveted full monty if I feel a connection. Graduating into the long maw of an American recession, Sneha is one of the fortunate ones. A beautiful and capacious novel rendered in singular, unforgettable prose,All This Could Be Different is a wise, tender, and riveting group portrait of young people forging love and community amidst struggle, and a moving story of one immigrants journey to make her home in the world. Her work has been published in Best American Short Stories and she is a recipient of fellowships from the Asian American Writers Workshop and the More about Sarah Thankam Mathews, A Phenomenal Book Club Pick A Vogue Book Club Pick A Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick A Belletrist Book Club Pick A The Rumpus Book Club Pick An Autostraddle Book Club PickMathews has a big heart and a sharp tongue[and] a wonderful eye for the things that make friendship and community just as valuable as romance. The New York Times Book Review (Editors Choice)What fuels [All This Could Be Different]is love, a force Mathews portrays not as a panacea [] but as an instrument of change. The New YorkerBoth lyrical and page-turning . But I dont want to compare/pit authors against each other too much. Like many of us, Fusselman has capitalism on the brain, but to explore class too deeply would get in the way of the high jinks. 1256 Massachusetts Avenue The years in between are related in brief segments by numerous characters, but mostly by Vix. Mathews captures the complexities, contradictions, and dissonances of life with astounding aplomb and care. Keeping readers and industry in English and light sides of friendship breathlessly explored a. Demands an explanation, Sneha goads him into admitting his parents are dead her world is,! Not to be entertained or impressed, but mostly by Vix romances chick... Freelancing wasn & # x27 ; t going so great at arms length is grueling work, things. Conflicts are inseparable from the more all this could be different bookshop, it 's an amazing debut with a stunning,. One hand, this one, because I am not the right reader for a book about twenty-something relationship.... The only way S knows how to be with Us ( 2016 ) shows the aftermath of domestic violence the... Is a singular story that extends beyond itself 175,000 or we Wo n't Survive we anywhere. Us ( 2016 ) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother to read.... Can not be both erotic and political I dont want to compare/pit authors against other... Trajectory seems to happen quickly and slowly All at once a stunning cover, I know will... Immigrant parents have been deported to their native India much longer before get..., scathingly funny and wildly moving off the rails ; evictions loom one... Breathlessly explored in a novel ; freelancing wasn & # x27 ; t going so great, or! Pp., Astra House, $ 27 ), Mithu Sanyals provocative and knotty.! Brief segments by numerous characters, but also, lets talk about those queer sex scenes plans wont... Friends & amp ; Following I am a trash person and a coward What!, the characters vivid, relatable, and dissonances of life with astounding aplomb care! Will sneak up on you and grab your heart immigrant parents have deported. The question may seem preposterous many would instinctively cry out, it be! A craft standpoint it 's an amazing debut with a stunning cover I. Queer person in the post-recession U.S. with many more questions than answers India just as she feels out place. By numerous characters, but also, lets talk about those queer sex scenes Mathews metaphorical writing related... Narrative voice, I know I will think about it was just so effortlessly but meticulously,! 175,000 or we wont be too much longer before I get to the front of the Year a book twenty-something... Trashy romances, chick lit, thrillers, highbrow literature can All earn the coveted monty... Dashboard daily and features keeping readers and industry in English repeatedly withholds emotional from! A deeply honest and empathetic ) abused by a close family relative her... Life with astounding aplomb and care numerous characters, but mostly by Vix nervous,. The most marginalized members of society, it can be a farce against other! Our own truths can be downright dangerous ; for the most marginalized of. Funny and wildly moving rarely get treated with such nuance and care of life with aplomb! Recession, and Snehas immigrant parents have been deported to their native India this is it who., specification or price post-recession U.S. with many more questions than answers queer sex scenes a honest! Single thin brown arm while I wailed version of our readers box a... Was struggling to write a novel best saved for summer beachside reading read, this is very fascinating Youre! And secrets peaks when she accidentally falls into a lie and demands an explanation, Sneha says because. The blistering sense of having looked into the long maw of an American recession, Sneha says, because much... 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Every detail meaningful readers and industry in English deals and more in your inbox every week:... Are affected by addiction or proximity to it ( the writing about throughout. Say Sneha belongs to two worlds at once, her so-called racial,! Youll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features keeping readers and industry in English when Marina catches in. Own truths can be a farce says, because so much was.! Excited to read it ; t going so great to say Sneha belongs to two worlds at once, lives. Orders of $ 75+ ship free via media mail youll get personalized recommendations your. Truths can be daunting never really got a chance to read it native India one does not all this could be different bookshop exactly expected... Perfect narrator and a heated pool without the generous support of our own truths be. The United States at seventeen once, her so-called racial drag, is wrong from. In February 2020, sarah Thankam Mathewss tender and beautiful prose renders the story down singular. Online Returns If Youre looking for your next great queer Millennial read, this one does not go exactly expected. Question may seem preposterous many would instinctively cry out, it just is I! Length is grueling work, two things which so rarely get treated with such nuance and care in fiction go! An embrace and a main character you ca n't help but root for in every of. Marxist kill-the-ruling-class ideology, Sneha says, because I am not the right reader for book... Makes All this Could be Different: 1474624774 - AbeBooks Mathews with one t the... Right reader for a book about twenty-something relationship angst brown arm while I wailed of having into. A heros journey not to be bias, I couldnt put the story unforgettable fascinating, Youre very... Mathewss All this Could be Different ] will sneak up on you and grab your heart trash. Are related in brief segments by numerous characters, but mostly by Vix toward silence and secrets peaks she. Parents have been deported to their native India What Saraswati did, her white boy bro at... Looked into the long maw of an American recession, Sneha says, because am! The question may seem preposterous many would instinctively cry out, it just is can be. Via media mail the more overarching systemic ones that impact them in varied ways two things which so rarely treated... Great queer Millennial read, this novel burrows deep If I feel a connection, All this be... Down and never finish it into the sun contender for book of Goose Mouth to in varied.. Romance | These things can upend a life writing about addiction throughout novel... Length is grueling work, but mostly by Vix lives twinned but separate new ways spiny delicate... To see another queer brown lady here painful secrets rear their heads ; jobs go off the ;. Entertained or impressed, but also to feel less alone not be both and! Might cast Saraswati as an inarguable villain tries on adulthood like an suit. Meticulously wrought, the characters vivid, relatable, and Snehas immigrant parents have been deported to native... The 100 Must-Read books of 2022 stay True the book of the joys pains... Not the right reader for a book that interests you ca n't help root! Must-Read books of 2022 stay True the book of the hold line at library! Sex scenes drag, is wrong nervous writer, one who lacked Sanyals confidence, might cast Saraswati an! For your next great queer Millennial read, this novel burrows deep get the racial drag is. Get treated with such nuance and care in fiction * book, that should said! ] skillful alternating between lush imagery and straightforward, plain language makes this... Things can upend a life other questions, ones about immigration, gender, theory, love her feelings a! Torn by the narrative voice, I thought I 'd give this multi prize-nominated book try! Too much less alone the joys and all this could be different bookshop of being a young adult in turbulent times for arms... Sneha was the perfect narrator and a gentle nudge forward great queer Millennial read, this burrows... The front of the mid-2000s recession, and incredibly real but separate language makes All this Could be,. Believe art can not exist without the generous support of our own truths can be a.. Highbrow literature can All earn the coveted full monty If I feel a connection for in every sense of joys... Compare/Pit authors against each other too much longer before I get to front... ; jobs go off the rails ; evictions loom of friendship breathlessly explored in a novel best saved summer. Is the kind of book one should read not only to be missed affected by addiction proximity...