I think I figured out the problems in Roshani Chokshi and Sandhya Menon's books (as much as I love them, their Indian rep doesn't resonate with me as much as I'd hoped).
DISCLAIMER: not hating. There are valid issues that PoC face in foreign countries and I'm not trying to invalidate them. This is just an opinion
A little background first. Contrary to what you're shown in Hollywood movies, south asian countries are not a wasteland of forests and slums, but the situation isn't great, either.
Majority of the population is somewhere in the middle class rungs that often comes with a plethora of issues starting from academic pressure to feelings of guilt and anxiety over spending money on yourself. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. (Colonial trauma is a bitchy, vicious cycle).
It is a privilege to leave the country, to have enough money to live an entire ocean away. Not all of us will ever be able to do that so we'll have to deal with whatever shit is thrown in our faces by the society and government (the CAA/NRC act, privatization of govt institutions, the farmer bills that aren't actually pro-farmer, covering up atrocities in the most outlandish ways, controlling media houses so actual news never reaches common people, catering to billionaires, mismanaging the pandemic and opening your eyes only when you see the ashes).
Not to mention a lot of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) are wealthy, upper caste people, absolutely cloistered from the atrocities that occur everyday against marginalized communities.
So when I read books by Indian-American authors, my feelings are mixed. If they're set in historical times my anger is through the roof. Let's take an example.
Laila from The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi gave me immense joy at first for being beautiful, bold brown girl. But as I read further, my feelings started to grow more negative.
It's because of the way Chokshi did zero research on South Asian colonization of the British while waxing poetic about the tragic fates of her male characters. Laila is from Pondicherry, and the French colonized that place (we only get mentions of forests and magicians because apparently that's all there was in the 1800s, huh :))). We have no idea how she ended up in Paris, or how as an 18 year old brown girl she took up a job as a courtesan/sex worker (I don't have a problem with sex work, but I would like to know how she got that job and I would like to see her childhood and trauma explored. Okay, Severin gets pages of backstories about his fathers but his love interest doesn't?). She didn't have a surname first while everyone else did. And now, in the second book we move with the fact that we have zero ideas for her real name too. For a book that's about colonization, desi history gets ignored by the author, and instead Laila is sexualized af. I'd like to ask what's her role in the story beyond causing Severin angst, baking, reading objects for him, and being a generally sweet person? Chokshi keeps *telling* me that she isn't there for Severin and is her own person, but where's the proof? She has no backstory, no name, and no role beyond romance and smexy courtesan.
Like Wikipedia has a whole ass page. Wouldn't have taken much to just Google it all. And for an author of south asian ethnicity to ignore this, the way white historians do? Reeks of privilege.
Her MG series, The Pandava Quartet, is also set in America. A story.... about Hindu mythological legends... in America.... it was jarring to read, honestly. For once in my life I'd like to see something *not* being set in America. America is not the center of the world for crying out loud.
Same with Sandhya Menon's books. We'll leave out her twisted idea of feminism: gurls ruleeesss!! Boys droolzz. It was very obvious in When Dimple Met Rishi, with the way Dimple kept hitting and punching Rishi, and it was deemed as badass. All her boys have the same archetype: Love Interest Cameras.
Y'know, romance works with *two* characters, right? Two of them, each bringing something to the table for a healthy, balanced relationship that progresses slowly through various stages (because real life often isn't a Bollywood movie). Boys need to have good role models and a role beyond "hot, sexy love interest." Y'all have become the very thing you swore to destroy.
Wait, I derailed. Sorry.
Ahem. Back to the topic.
I shouldn't have been shocked, but I truly was while reading Menon's books. It just made me realize the privilege a lot of NRIs have and they don't even realize it.
Case in point: most of Menon's characters are all wealthy and loaded af, and that makes them extremely hard to relate to. They are disconnected from their culture, they don't speak any of the native languages, not even a little bit. The little mentions we got were so inaccurate, they made me grit my teeth and make a whole post about it. It feels as though she just slapped a south asian name on a white—I'm not even gonna call them characters—they're basically puppets for her romances (who tf kisses right into 3-4 chapters of a book, c'mon!).
I'd have expected such disconnect from a white author *side-eyes Cassandra Clare*, but not from someone of my own ethnicity. It was heartbreaking. I'm sorry if you don't agree but I had to get this off my chest
Again, BIPOC in foreign countries have issues that need to be examined, but we keep forgetting that most of them aren't in America. We're living in our countries, and there are a host of marginalized communities whose stories need to be heard, now more than ever.
Like every other book I've read by Menon, I absolutely loved this. It was a solid take on Beauty and the Beast and so full of longing that I may have shed a tear or two while reading this at work.
The Raos and the Emersons have been feuding for years. When an unfavorable photo of Isha is leaked to the press, Jaya Rao is determined to get back at the person responsible--Grey Emerson.
Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family—and from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?
Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.
The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitating toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?
Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.
Plot:
Dimple was not the perfect Indian daughter, yet her mother was still expecting her to find the IIH (Ideal Indian Husband). Constantly badgering her about her clothing, lack of make-up, why Dimple prefers glasses over contacts. Dimple was ecstatic to be leaving home in September and attending Stanford University for computer science. Yet, she could also start her university career early. Asking her parents to participate in a web development workshop in San Francisco for six weeks, Dimple was shocked when her parents agreed quickly. It was not until Rishi approached her, calling her his future wife, that she understood why her parents decided to let her go. Her parents set her up in an arranged marriage with Rishi, and these six weeks were for them to get to know each other and fall in love. Determined to stay away from Rishi, this plan fails when they are paired up for the workshop project, with the prize being Dimple's dream.
Rishi thought Dimple knew she was to be his wife. When that plan backfired, Rishi settled to be not annoying and to be Dimple's friend at least. If only Dimple was not so perfect. Rishi's heart thumped; he knew he loved Dimple but was unsure if his love alone could sustain the relationship. When Dimple did not value her parents or Indian ways, Rishi felt heartbroken. He genuinely believed in their way of life and was proud to be American and Indian. With his post-graduation plans having him off at MIT and Dimple in Sanford, he must make Dimple realize they are perfect together and build a relationship that will be able to last the distance if Dimple was to be his wife.
Thoughts:
Sandhya Menon wrote this cute love story of two teens falling in love in San Francisco during a web development workshop, with a bit of an Indian twist to it. Well, not a little, but a lot as Rishi and Dimple both were born in America, but having Indian immigrant parents played a large role in how they view society. On one side we have Rishi sees himself as an Indian American. Where Dimple is not renouncing her heritage but not valuing it as her parents and Rishi did. Especially around the concept of being a wife and mother and Dimple's looks, Dimple was more career-focused and did not care about her looks. When Menon did well was the sweet, almost too fast-paced romance between Dimple and Rishi. Switching from the point of view of Rishi and Dimple, it was cute to see how Rishi was head over heels in love with Dimple since day one. As Rishi was already in love, we were reading about Dimple slowly returning these feelings. They were unafraid to be real to each other, which often does not happen fast in real romances or even book ones. Having Dimple since Day 1 being unapologetically herself, and having Rishi love her for that was heartwarming and indeed kept the book going. They were both total nerds, and thus, reading about them geeking out and pushing each other to do better was fantastic. The only issue was Menon gave them such a short timeline, six weeks. Thus their romance was a quiet rush, and a lot of firsts were happening to this couple that went from their first date to sex in a matter of days. Maybe it is just my love of slow burn, but I really wished Menon made Rishi work more for Dimple's love and made him do a couple of perfect dates instead of just one. The plot itself is predictable, and Menon focused on the romantic aspect and less on the workshop itself. There is a lot of side drama in the story that helped move the plot along when you got tired of Dimple and Rishi's perfect romance. Despite being perfect, Dimple and Rishi both had their individual flaws and flaws as a couple. Some of these flaws were manageable and kept the book interesting; others made it hard to read. As a couple, they enjoyed mocking others and putting people into stereotypes, despite hating being stereotyped themselves. Throughout the novel, Dimple herself kept the attitude "I'm not like other girls" and mocked those who enjoyed society-deemed female items. When the first time she is like this you ignore it, but by halfway through the book it makes you start to hate Dimple a little bit. Overall, it is a cute, contemporary story that is not really one to remember. The balance point to this novel is if you like Dimple or not. As she is the main character, if you like Dimple, you will like the story, and if you do not, well, then this story may not be for you.
