Gold Diggers

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A brilliant Indian-American magical realist coming-of-age story, this debut novel spans two continents, two coasts, and four epochs, expertly balancing social satire and magical realism. It critiques the model minority narrative, exploring what a community must do to achieve the American dream. With razor-sharp, humorous prose, it captures the experience of growing up in a family, a diaspora, and the American meritocracy. Neil Narayan, a floundering second-generation teenager in Bush-era Atlanta, grapples with high expectations from his perfect sister, who is headed to Duke, and his parents. While he struggles to share their ambition, he is infatuated with his neighbor, Anita Dayal. Anita and her mother, Anjali, brew an ancient potion from stolen gold that channels the ambition of its original owner. Unlike Anjali, who favored her sons, Anita seeks a boost to get into Harvard. When Neil, who needs much more, joins their scheme, it leads to a tragedy that tears their community apart. A decade later, Neil, now a stoned Berkeley history grad student, reunites with Anita in Silicon Valley. They revive their old gold theft habit, but the stakes are higher as Anita's mother faces trouble. Together, they must pull off one last heist. This novel is a profound, intelligent, and bitingly funny exploration of identity and coming of age, challenging American norms.