Road trip! One Indian widow, one out-of-work Jewish actress and one Bangladeshi tour guide take a whirlwind tour of America going from New York City to Niagara Falls, Philadelphia, Washington, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and ending up in L.A. Culture shock experiencing
…more America and culture shock for the group experiencing each other. I was curious as to how the author could bridge the cultures with authenticity and found she has a Jewish -Puerto Rican heritage and her husband was born in Kolkata. (https://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm/author_number/x13038/leah-franqui)
Having been to most of the places visited, I enjoyed seeing them through other eyes. I had a hard time imaging doing all this in two weeks, but I know it is possible. The descriptions of each place seemed quite accurate. But obviously, that is just the background for how the group interacts and struggles to understand each other and to understand themselves. This is especially true of Pival, who is also on a spiritual journey of her own unbeknownst to the others. The characters were realistic, well drawn and believable. Perhaps a little slow in the beginning, the book is somewhere between light fiction and literature. I would suggest it for those interested in exploring different viewpoints and other cultures. (less)
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