GOLD DIGGERS

This wonderfully charming debut novel is everything I never knew I needed on my bookshelf! In Gold Diggers, Neil Narayan is an aimless suburban teenager who feels pressured by the expectations of his Indian-American family, and overwhelmed by his community’s obsession with the Americanized version of success. When he learns that his neighbor and longtime crush, Anita, and her mother, Anjali, have been concocting an ancient elixir made from stolen gold that offers the original owner’s ambition, Neil wants in. But when a tragedy makes them question all they thought they wanted, Neil and Anita find that shortcuts to success come at a steep price. A decade later, reunited in California, the two plot one last gold theft - and confront the history and secrets and that will break them, or make them stronger.

There is so much to love about this moving coming of age novel infused with sharp satire and insightful commentary on assimilation and identity. Interwoven with alchemy and gold rush history, the story deftly and definitively upends the notion of a “model minority” in a way that is clever and never preachy. The older generation “auntie” and “uncle” conversations had me laughing out loud, which felt great after some really somber books. In short, I didn’t want this warm, smart, surprising story to end - and I can’t wait to see what @sanjenasathian writes next.

Isn’t this cover - inspired by Indian matchbook art - totally amazing? To match the colors, I made chickpea masala, curry chicken and pineapple skewers, mango chutney - and obviously, some of the gold-infused lemonade at the center of the story. Special thanks to my mom for loaning me these beautiful napkins from India - they reminded me of the emerald green sari mentioned in one of the final chapters.