Gold Diggers
'Magical and entirely original' —Shondaland
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
* SOON TO BE A MINDY KALING TV SERIES *
* A Book of the Month pick by CNN, Bustle, PopSugar, Entertainment Weekly and Vox *
* One of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2021 *
* Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize *
‘Achingly familiar and marvellously inventive… a dizzyingly original, fiercely funny, deeply wise novel’ Celeste Ng
‘Completely original, utterly absorbing, complex and confident’ Karen Joy Fowler
‘Truly funny, insightful, smart and filled with wonderful characters… unmissable’ Ann Napolitano
ANYONE CAN BE EXTRAORDINARY. BUT IT COMES AT A PRICE…
Neil Narayan’s parents moved to America for a better life, and his perfect older sister is now headed to an elite university. Neil is funny and smart, but he is not living up to his parents’ dream. While he tries to want their version of success, mostly, Neil just wants his neighbour across the street, Anita Dayal.
Once a lot like Neil, Anita is truly thriving academically, athletically and socially. Anita has a secret: she and her mother Anjali have been brewing an ancient alchemical potion from stolen gold that harnesses the ambition of the jewellery's original owner. Anita just needs a little boost to get into Harvard. When Neil – who needs a whole lot more – stumbles onto their secret and joins in the plot, events spiral into a tragedy that rips their community apart.
Ten years later, Neil is an oft-stoned history grad student studying the California gold rush. Anita has given up her high-flying tech career and is working as an event planner, just for now. Anjali, the woman who gave them both so much, is in trouble, and only gold can save her. What choice do Anita and Neil have but to pull off one last heist?
Gold Diggers is a dazzling coming-of-age story that speaks to anyone who ever wondered quite how they belong, and who ever dreamed of being the very best they could be.
'Blends magic, mythology, alchemy and melodrama into a story about anxiety, assimilation and ambition… A delightful concoction’ Guardian
'A smart and inventive coming-of-age tale that blends magical realism with a literary exploration of identity and the American dream’ Culturefly
‘A funny, fresh voice in fiction and an intricately layered story full of believable characters and just a smidge of magical realism’ Red
‘A brilliant, dazzling coming-of-age story’ Woman’s Own
'A spellbinding read' heat
'This smart coming-of-age tale dazzles' Evening Standard
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sathian's dazzling debut centers on the Indian American community of Hammond Creek, Ga., where the high-achieving children of immigrants compete for top grades and pageant titles. In 2006, 15-year-old Neil Narayan is part of the debate team at school, though he has always been unremarkable compared to his Duke-bound older sister and his best friend, Anita Dayal. But things change when Neil discovers the secret behind Anita's triumphs: a spellbinding concoction made from gold, which Anita's mother, Anjali, brews using jewelry swiped from their more successful neighbors' homes. After Neil drinks the potion, he becomes smarter and sharper, but his newfound ambition soon leads to a tragic event that forever changes the lives of Hammond Creek's residents. A decade later, an aimless Neil—now a struggling history PhD candidate at Berkeley—is shocked when Anita reappears with a plan that will once again test just how far he is willing to go to create the life he desires. While the stakes feel a bit lower as the final ploy plays out, the sharp characterizations bring humor and contemplation in equal measure, touching on the pressures Neil and Anita face to produce a legacy that honors their parents' sacrifices. Sathian's bildungsroman isn't one to miss.
