Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published May 2012
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
A moving story that redefines the meaning of family, friendship, and success among a group of first-generation Indian immigrants.
When Vikram invites three of his college friends to his son's graduation from MIT, they accept out of obligation and curiosity, viewing the party as a twenty-fifth reunion of sorts. Village genius Vikram, now the founder of a lucrative computer company, is having the party against his son's wishes. Frances and Jay regret accepting: Frances, a real estate agent, hasn't sold a house in a year; Jay's middle management job isn't brag worthy; and their daughter is failing the eleventh grade. Lali plans to hide the fact that her once-happy marriage is crumbling because her American husband is discovering his Jewish roots.
Each had left UCLA expecting to be successful and have even more successful children. At Vikram's Newport Beach mansion, the showmanship they anticipate dissolves as each is forced to deal with his or her own problems. The follow-up to A Good Indian Wife, Anne Cherian's novel resonates with the poignancy of real life colliding with expectations unmet.
"Starred Review. Cherian's straightforward storytelling is riveting and rarely goes amiss (save for an instance of deus ex machina to resolve a pivotal scene), and the climax is fervent." - Publishers Weekly
"Purporting to look closely at the Indian experience in America, Cherian comes up with a less-than-flattering picture; the friends are all obsessed with what the others will think about their children, choice of spouse, financial status, and physical appearance. Concluding with some hasty surface resolutions, the book finally nudges uncomfortably into caricature." - Library Journal
"A mostly entertaining, sometimes thoughtful, but not terribly demanding Indian beach read." - Kirkus Reviews
This information about The Invitation was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Anne Cherian is the author of A Good Indian Wife. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
