I acquired a copy of Jay Antani's THE LEAVING OF THINGS via a Goodreads giveaway. Told from the perspective of a fictional collage age, Indian-American, the book shares Vikram's difficulty in adjusting to life back in India after having spent 11 years in the States. The glimpses of Indian culture and vocabulary make this well written story educational as well as interesting. The main character (Vikram) is very real and relatable as he learns to live the life HE wants to lead. An enlightening story! Really well written, lyrical descriptions of India. A reverse fish out of water story with an Indian born, but US raised teenage boy forced to relocate back to the homeland after high school to attend college.Wonderful crafted characters, especially Vik the protagonist and Pria, the girl in India he eventually falls in love with, and the several key friends he makes along the way. From the minute he arrives in India, Vik feels resentment about his circumstances. Even seeing family for the first time in 12 years (the family moved to the US when he was a boy) isn't quite enough to staunch the anger about leaving best friends, a girlfriend and life as he's come to know it, back in the U.S.Antani paints an incredibly visual portrait of place, time, and people. You're instantly transported across the globe and back in time. And taken on a journey of personal discovery and the importance of family, and journeying out on your own. Highly recommend.
What do You think about Leaving Of Things, The (2014)?
Not a bad read by any means...just lost momentum for me and I've decided to move on.
—xXgingersnapzXx
Got pretty blah towards the end. Found myself not really caring one way or the othee
—Angie
A great first novel! I hope to see more from Jay Antani!
—Sharai
