About this ebook
“The saga of an Indian family steeped in tradition trying to find its niche in the suburbs of Chicago . . . Engrossing” (Booklist).
“Funny and romantic and heartbreaking” (St. Petersburg Times), this novel is narrated by Francisco D’Sai, a firstborn son of a firstborn son—all the way back to the beginning of a long line of proud Konkans, the so-called “Jews of India,” who abandoned their Hindu traditions, knelt before Vasco da Gama’s sword and Saint Francis Xavier’s cross, and became Catholics.
In Chicago in the early 1970s, Francisco’s Konkan father, Lawrence, wants desperately to assimilate into American culture—pursuing a corporate job and launching an uphill battle to join the local country club. But Francisco’s American mother, Denise, a Peace Corps veteran who finds the suburbs utterly boring, wants to preserve the family’s heritage, feeding Francisco’s imagination with proud visions of India and Konkan history—with enthusiastic help from her recently arrived brother-in-law. Sometimes it seems like she’s more excited about her husband’s background and culture than about her marriage.
From the author of Whiteman, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and winner of the Sue Kaufman Prize, this is a witty, wrenching portrait of generational, cultural, marital, and historical conflict, seen through one family’s experience.
“[A] savvy storyteller with a clear, soulful voice.” —Entertainment Weekly
“D’Souza’s compelling tale of one extended family’s trials and triumphs in a foreign land is an astute glimpse of the challenges, dangers, and rewards of assimilation.” —The Boston Globe
“Funny and romantic and heartbreaking” (St. Petersburg Times), this novel is narrated by Francisco D’Sai, a firstborn son of a firstborn son—all the way back to the beginning of a long line of proud Konkans, the so-called “Jews of India,” who abandoned their Hindu traditions, knelt before Vasco da Gama’s sword and Saint Francis Xavier’s cross, and became Catholics.
In Chicago in the early 1970s, Francisco’s Konkan father, Lawrence, wants desperately to assimilate into American culture—pursuing a corporate job and launching an uphill battle to join the local country club. But Francisco’s American mother, Denise, a Peace Corps veteran who finds the suburbs utterly boring, wants to preserve the family’s heritage, feeding Francisco’s imagination with proud visions of India and Konkan history—with enthusiastic help from her recently arrived brother-in-law. Sometimes it seems like she’s more excited about her husband’s background and culture than about her marriage.
From the author of Whiteman, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and winner of the Sue Kaufman Prize, this is a witty, wrenching portrait of generational, cultural, marital, and historical conflict, seen through one family’s experience.
“[A] savvy storyteller with a clear, soulful voice.” —Entertainment Weekly
“D’Souza’s compelling tale of one extended family’s trials and triumphs in a foreign land is an astute glimpse of the challenges, dangers, and rewards of assimilation.” —The Boston Globe
About the author
Tony D’Souza is the author of three novels, including the award-winning Whiteman. He has contributed to The New Yorker, Playboy, Esquire, Outside, Salon, Granta, McSweeney’s, O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Fantasy, and elsewhere. A recipient of the Sue Kaufman Prize, Florida Gold and Silver Medals for fiction, and fellowships from the Guggenheim and the NEA, Tony was nominated for a National Magazine Award for coverage of Nicaragua’s Eric Volz murder trial and spent three years in Africa with the Peace Corps.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
