Monday, April 1, 2024, 7:30 – 9 PM EDT
How far would you go for the American dream? A floundering second-generation teenager growing up in the Bush-era Atlanta suburbs, Neil Narayan is funny and smart but struggles to bear the weight of expectations of his family and their Asian American enclave. He tries to want their version of success, but mostly, Neil just wants his neighbor across the cul-de-sac, Anita Dayal. When he discovers that Anita is the beneficiary of an ancient, alchemical potion made from stolen gold—a “lemonade” that harnesses the ambition of the gold’s original owner—Neil sees his chance to get ahead. But events spiral into a tragedy that rips their community apart. Years later in the Bay Area, Neil still bristles against his community's expectations—and finds he might need one more hit of that lemonade, no matter the cost.
Join author and Emory Creative and Fiction Writing Fellow, Sanjena Sathian, for a discussion of Gold Diggers, a magical realist coming-of-age story that skewers the model minority myth and investigation into what is required to make it in America.
“Gold Diggers is a delightful concoction of the best of South Asia’s literary offerings, reminiscent of Hanif Kureishi’s irreverent humour in The Buddha of Suburbia and, more recently, the magic realism of Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West and Salman Rushdie’s work. . .. Sathian brings a golden touch to the 21st-century Indian American novel—stretching it through a reimagining of history and mythology, yet holding it close to her chest.” —Sana Goyal, The Guardian “Crackles with sarcasm and wit . . . a dazzling tale. Local readers will delight in Sathian’s artful depiction of metro Atlanta circa 2006, as well as her take on the struggles of being a member of a minority community during the post-9/11 Bush era.” —Anjali Enjeti, Atlanta Journal Constitution
Soon to be a series produced by Mindy Kaling!
Fee: $35 for members, $45 for nonmembers, and includes the cost of the book. Space is limited and registration is required.