South Haven: A Novel

Synopsis

"[T]his luminous debut...captures precisely the heartache of growing up."--Library Journal, Top Spring Indie Fiction"A powerful story...a universal look at the complexity of how people wrestle with guilt and blame amid tragic loss."--New Haven Independent"[A] sensitive, poignant, resonating novel."--BookslutIncluded in John Reed's list of Most Anticipated Small Press Books of 2016 at Big Other"A son of Hindu immigrants from India grows up in a New England suburb, where he struggles to find his way after his mother dies, while his father becomes immersed in anti-Muslim fundamentalism."--World Wide Work"This book became insight into what the life of a South Asian family is like in suburbia here in the US. But it remained a sharp, sensitive comment on adolescence and how much we still struggle to do well by our youth. Sawhney leaves us with a good cliffhanger in the end which I admired. He didn't have to tell us how each character turned out in life but lets us imagine their further existence."--WORD Bookstores, Staff pick"This story was absolutely beautifully written. I found myself unable to stop turning page after page as I immersed myself in this book fully. It is a gripping story from start to finish, as you read hoping that this family will finally come to terms with their loss. A definite 10 stars out of 5 star read."--The Reading Wolf"A novelist you will be reading for years to come."--Amy Bloom, author of Lucky Us"South Haven is an affecting tale of a family's loss, a child's grief, and the search for solace in all the wrong places. Hirsh Sawhney is an incandescent voice in fiction."--Laila Lalami, author of The Moor's Account"It's no secret that grief makes us vulnerable, but Hirsh Sawhney's perceptively rendered South Haven presents a volatile mix of second-generation migration, sadness, and cruelty in suburban America. South Haven is bold, accessible, funny, and heartbreaking."--Jayne Anne Phillips, author of Quiet DellSiddharth Arora lives an ordinary life in the New England suburb of South Haven, but his childhood comes to a grinding halt when his mother dies in a car accident. Siddharth soon gravitates toward a group of adolescent bullies, drinking and smoking instead of drawing and swimming. He takes great pains to care for his depressive father, Mohan Lal, an immigrant who finds solace in the hateful Hindu fundamentalism of his homeland and cheers on Indian fanatics who murder innocent Muslims. When a new woman enters their lives, Siddharth and his father have a chance at a fresh start. They form a new family, hoping to leave their pain behind them.South Haven is no simple coming-of-age tale or hero's journey, blurring the line between victim and victimizer and asking readers to contend with the lies we tell ourselves as we grieve and survive. Following in the tradition of narratives by Edwidge Danticat and Junot Díaz, Sawhney draws upon the measured lyricism of postcolonial writers like Michael Ondaatje but brings to his subjects distinctly American irreverence and humor.

Copyright:

2016

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

296 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781617754579

Related ISBNs:

9781617753978

Publisher:

Akashic Books

Date of Addition:

10/26/22

Copyrighted By:

Hirsh Sawhney

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Literature and Fiction, Parenting and Family

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.