Author: Leah Franqui
Publisher: William Morrow
Date of publication: July 2018
Recalling contemporary classics such as Americanah,
Behold the Dreamers, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,
a funny, poignant, and insightful debut novel that explores the complexities of
family, immigration, prejudice, and the American Dream through meaningful and
unlikely friendships forged in unusual circumstances.
Pival Sengupta has done something she never expected: she
has booked a trip with the First Class India USA Destination Vacation Tour
Company. But unlike other upper-class Indians on a foreign holiday, the
recently widowed Pival is not interested in sightseeing. She is traveling
thousands of miles from Kolkota to New York on a cross-country journey to
California, where she hopes to uncover the truth about her beloved son, Rahi. A
year ago Rahi devastated his very traditional parents when he told them he was
gay. Then, Pival’s husband, Ram, told her that their son had died
suddenly—heartbreaking news she still refuses to accept. Now, with Ram gone,
she is going to America to find Rahi, alive and whole or dead and gone, and
come to terms with her own life.
Arriving in New York, the tour proves to be more complicated
than anticipated. Planned by the company’s indefatigable owner, Ronnie Munshi—a
hard-working immigrant and entrepreneur hungry for his own taste of the
American dream—it is a work of haphazard improvisation. Pival’s guide is the
company’s new hire, the guileless and wonderfully resourceful Satya, who has
been in America for one year—and has never actually left the five boroughs. For
modesty’s sake Pival and Satya will be accompanied by Rebecca Elliot, an
aspiring young actress. Eager for a paying gig, she’s along for the ride,
because how hard can a two-week “working” vacation traveling across America be?
Slowly making her way from coast to coast with her unlikely
companions, Pival finds that her understanding of her son—and her hopes of a
reunion with him—are challenged by her growing knowledge of his adoptive
country. As the bonds between this odd trio deepens, Pival, Satya, and Rebecca
learn to see America—and themselves—in different and profound new ways.
A bittersweet and bighearted tale of forgiveness, hope, and
acceptance, America for Beginners illuminates the unexpected
enchantments life can hold, and reminds us that our most precious connections
aren’t always the ones we seek.
Purchase Links
About Leah Franqui
 |
| Photo by Priyam Dhar |
Leah Franqui is a graduate of Yale University and received
an MFA at NYU-Tisch. She is a playwright and the recipient of the 2013 Goldberg
Playwriting Award, and also wrote a web series for which she received the
Alfred Sloan Foundation Screenwriting award (aftereverafterwebseries.com). A
Puerto Rican-Jewish Philadelphia native, Franqui lives with her Kolkata-born
husband in Mumbai. AMERICA FOR BEGINNERS is her first novel.
Find out more about Franqui at her website, and connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Instagram Features
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Wednesday, August 1st: Kahakai
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Monday, August 6th: Jathan & Heather
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Thursday, August 9th: From the TBR Pile
Thanks for being on the tour!
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