'A refreshingly honest novel that deftly captures the demands and delights of living in between East and West and the status of never quite belonging in either sphere. 'A poignant debut novel, reminiscent of Jhumpa Lahiri, that touches on the immigrant experience in America, being caught between two cultures, and finding one's place in the world.' -Booklist Publisher: Amazon Publishing ISBN: 9781542031905 Number of pages: 318 MEDIA REVIEWS

Torn between two beautifully flawed cultures, Preeti must now untangle what home truly means to her. Surrounded by the sights and sounds of her heritage, Preeti catches a startling glimpse of her family's battles with class, tradition, and sacrifice. Years later, with her parents not speaking to her and her controversial relationship in tatters, all Preeti has left is her career at a prestigious Los Angeles law firm.īut when Preeti receives word of a terrible accident in the city where she was born, she returns to India, where she'll have to face her estranged parents.and the complicated past they left behind. All she did was fall in love with a white Christian carnivore instead of a conventional Indian boy. Mine had been to be a successful lawyer and writer, and after a lot of twists and turns in the road, I’m proud that those freshman year dreams I had have come true, and I still have those wonderful women I met in Van Doren to celebrate with.In Mansi Shah's stunning debut novel, a family tragedy beckons a first-generation immigrant to the city of her birth, where she grapples with her family's past in search of where she truly belongs.Īfter her parents moved her and her brother to America, Preeti Desai never meant to tear her family apart. “And that tiny dorm room became a haven for us all to come together to laugh, talk, study and dream about the lives we would have after university. “The women on that floor were such an interesting mix of people - a British exchange student, an Argentine Jew, a part Chinese girl and several others - but from our different walks of life, we all formed a bond and many of us are in touch to this day.

“On the swelteringly hot, humid day when my family helped me move into my room, I had been skeptical that I would like this all-female dorm, where I knew no one and had no air-conditioning. I’d decided to go to UIUC fairly late in the process so housing choices had been limited and I was put in a tiny room that was meant for two but had three people crammed into it.

“The first place that comes to my mind is the fourth floor of Van Doren, my freshman year dorm. But for 2001 psychology grad-turned-Warner Brothers executive Mansi Shah, her former home - Van Doren Hall - was every bit as fun as he current one.

The Taste of Ginger by Mansi Shah