The Leaving of Things (KINDLE) (edition 2013)

by Jay Antani

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Conversations
107	5	253,954	(3.28)	None
Winner of the 2014 International Book Award for Multicultural Fiction2014 Kindle Book Award Winner Vikram is not your model Indian-American teenager. Growing up in late 1980s Wisconsin, he is rebellious, adrift, and resentful of his Indian roots. But a disastrously drunken weekend becomes a one-way ticket back to the homeland for Vikram after his outraged parents decide to pack up the family and return to India. So begins a profound journey of culture shock, loneliness, and self-discovery as Vikram--navigating the chaos of daily Indian life and the antiquated social rules of his college--finds the confidence to explore his own creativity, reconnect with his family, and meet unforgettable new friends. Most of all, he discovers that India is his soul...but America is his heart, the land of his destiny, leading to a once-in-a-lifetime test of courage as he sets out to chart a bold new course for his future.… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	c_why
Title:	The Leaving of Things (KINDLE)
Authors:	Jay Antani
Info:	Bandwagon Press (2013), Paperback, 368 pages
Collections:	Your library, E-Book, To read
Rating:
Tags:	fiction--American, India--expat teen--fict

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The Leaving of Things by Jay Antani

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In the late 1980s, Vikram and his family leave Wisconsin and travel back to India. Vikram has difficulty adapting to life in India, after spending ten of his formative years in the US. Vikram meets relatives he had not previously known, faces family challenges, deals with a new school, finds new friends, and attempts to figure out what he will do with the rest of his life. I enjoyed the descriptions of life in India. I found this a decent, though not exceptional, coming of age story. (

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Castlelass | Oct 30, 2022 |

Lord a'mighty. I don't know how I slogged my way to the bitter end of this book. Well, yah, I do. Skimmed my way there. This book had zero interest for me. I was indifferent to the characters and the story.

Goodreads says 1 star equals "I did not like it" so that is what this book gets. (

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Jinjer | Jul 19, 2021 |

I could have used a little more tension and a little less pat of an ending, but overall, this was a beautiful book. Antani does a superb job conveying how stuck Vikram feels between Indian and American culture and a --stellar-- at writing a sense of place. This is one of the best books I've read that make me feel I am on the streets of Ahmedabad (and elsewhere), for better or worse :) but really, the better. I love, too, the amount of Indian words and phrases Antani incorporates into the text, which also helps to immerse the reader into the experience. Looking forward to getting this for my teen collection at work.

******

Counting as my YA novel for the Read Harder challenge. (

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LibroLindsay | Jun 18, 2021 |

A reversal from the typical out-of-India-to-the-UK-or-America novel, teenager Vikram's family moves from Wisconsin back to Gujarat, mostly because he and his friends are busted for a baggie of weed during his senior year of high school. Vik bitterly misses the US, baseball, making movies, his blonde girlfriend, and his friends. His despair lifts, with the help of deeply affectionate relatives and new, good friends at St. Xavier's College - and a new Indian girlfriend, Priya - who was also raised in America.

But of course there are complications - cancer, arranged marriages, horribly boring classes at school - but really nothing that might not have occurred in the US. And in the end there's vindication of the move as an unforgettable year passes.

This is a pleasant novel that captures the voice of a nineteen year old, and offers admittance to women into the hearts and universal motivations of young men. (

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froxgirl | May 10, 2016 |

stephenhongsohn, 2015 Jan 07

asianamlitfans | Jan 8, 2015 |

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Awards

International Book Awards (Winner – Fiction: Multicultural – 2014)

Kindle Book Award (Winner – Literary Fiction – 2014)

Kindle Book Award (Winner – Literary – 2014)

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The Leaving of Things

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▾Book descriptions

Winner of the 2014 International Book Award for Multicultural Fiction2014 Kindle Book Award Winner Vikram is not your model Indian-American teenager. Growing up in late 1980s Wisconsin, he is rebellious, adrift, and resentful of his Indian roots. But a disastrously drunken weekend becomes a one-way ticket back to the homeland for Vikram after his outraged parents decide to pack up the family and return to India. So begins a profound journey of culture shock, loneliness, and self-discovery as Vikram--navigating the chaos of daily Indian life and the antiquated social rules of his college--finds the confidence to explore his own creativity, reconnect with his family, and meet unforgettable new friends. Most of all, he discovers that India is his soul...but America is his heart, the land of his destiny, leading to a once-in-a-lifetime test of courage as he sets out to chart a bold new course for his future.

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