No One Can Pronounce My Name by Rakesh Satyal

Rakesh Satyal's second novel, No One Can Pronounce My Name, is a patchwork quilt of a book, where different but related threads come together into a gorgeous masterpiece. the World, No One Can Pronounce My Name is a distinctive, funny, and insightful look into the lives of people who must reconcile the strictures of their culture and traditions with their own dreams and desires. Reminiscent of Angela Flournoy’s The Turner House, Ayad Akhtar’s American Dervish, and Jade Chang’s The Wangs vs. When Harit and Ranjana’s paths cross, they begin a strange yet necessary friendship that brings to light their own passions and fears. Worried that her husband has begun an affair, she seeks solace by writing paranormal romances in secret. Meanwhile, Ranjana, also an Indian immigrant in her midforties, has just seen her only child, Prashant, off to college.

In a misguided attempt to keep both himself and his mother sane, Harit has taken to dressing up in a sari every night to pass himself off as his sister. Harit, a lonely Indian immigrant in his midforties, lives with his mother who can no longer function after the death of Harit’s sister, Swati. For some, America is a bewildering and alienating place where coworkers can’t pronounce your name but will eagerly repeat the Sanskrit phrases from their yoga class. In a suburb outside Cleveland, a community of Indian Americans has settled into lives that straddle the divide between Eastern and Western cultures. A Humorous And Tender Multigenerational Novel About Immigrants And Outsiders-Those Trying To Find Their Place In American Society And Within Their Own Families.

No One Can Pronounce My Name by Rakesh Satyal