Bombay Blues

August 4, 2014
Dimple Lala, the Indian-American shutterbug whose teenage identity crisis and romance with the deejay Karsh were chronicled in Born Confused (2002), returns in this lovingly detailed homage to Bombay. As Dimple and Karsh arrive in Indiaâshe for her cousin Sangita's wedding, he to find closure after the death of his father and to break into the local club sceneâthey become increasingly estranged. Hidier's eye for awkward moments of cultural collision remains strong, as demonstrated in the cringe-inducing scene when the expatriate Karsh attempts to play traditional Punjabi music at a hip club more interested in electronica. When Karsh pushes Dimple away, seeking consolation in a religious sect, Dimple has a fling with a fellow photographer. Meanwhile, her soon-to-be-married cousin is disappearing at odd hours, and Sangita's lesbian sister, Kavita, plans to come out to the family. Once again, Hidier delivers an immersive blend of introspection, external drama, and lyricism, though the densely allusive prose ("my avast went ahoy. I gave my family the slip, took that last ship, akinship to Chuim Village. Left the banks of sense for the undercurrent") may leave some readers in the dust. Ages 14âup.

Starred review from July 1, 2014
Long awaited, anticipated, likely to be debated: Dimple Lala is back.Hidier quietly revolutionized YA literature with Born Confused (2002), and this sequel indicates she's intent on a repeat. Dimple, now in college and still with beat-dropping Karsh, heads to Bombay ostensibly for a wedding but really for so much more; still, perhaps, born confused, she is in search of home. Dense, lyrical, full of neologic portmanteaus and wordplay ("magnifishence"; "candlecadabra"): This is a prose-poem meditation on love, family and homecoming (or not) posing as a novel. Under the poetry lurks a simple story: a failing relationship and a dreamy but steamy affair; the pain of returning to a place where a loved one no longer lives. Dimple's narration transforms mundane details into something more meaningful if less comprehensible-laced with the languages and cadences of India and set in the maze of Bombay (never Mumbai), there is a lot to decode and no glossary or map to help (a lack perfectly in keeping with the novel but frustrating nevertheless). Many readers may not persevere; those that do may stall out with the multiple false endings as Dimple stutter-stops her way to an ending-but, tragically, they'll be missing out.Sankalp, a wish: that readers let the poetry and music transport them; it's a journey worth making. (Fiction. 15 & up)

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July 1, 2014

Gr 10 Up-In this lengthy sequel to Born Confused (Scholastic, 2002), 19-year-old, American born NYU student, Dimple Lala travels to Bombay with her Indian parents and her longtime DJ boyfriend, Karsh Kapoor, to attend the wedding of a cousin, Sangita. As Dimple immerses herself in family, culture, photography, music, love, and a search for self, Karsh embarks on his own spiritual journey, which draws him away from her. Traditions begin to falter when Sangita abruptly announces she is not marrying but instead pursuing a burgeoning art career. Sangita's sister, Kavita, opens up to the family about her homosexuality. While Dimple struggles to understand her unraveling relationship with Karsh, she has a spontaneous sexual affair with a "Cowboy" she just met. The protagonist and her remarkably progressive desi parents help Sangita and Kavita's traditional parents accept the liberated lives of their daughters. Visits to Bombay locales, temples, and landmarks add vivid authenticity to this middle-class story of self-discovery. Dimple narrates the ups and downs of her spiritual, cultural, sexual, and social journey in a challenging, often rhythmic "blues" style of inventive words, elliptical phrasing, colors, music, and artistic references. While the previous book engaged and informed readers about the protagonist's bicultural angst, this work assumes a familiarity with Hindi terms, Bollywood references, indie music and musicians, and street-art culture that may perplex less knowledgable teens. Nonetheless, for Dimple, exploring Bombay becomes a liberating metaphor for expressing passions and establishing beliefs.-Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Grades 10-1 The author of the highly regarded Born Confused (2002) continues the story of Dimple and Karsh in this complex follow-up. Dimple is now a student at NYU, where she has pursued photography with her beloved Chica Tikka (a nondigital camera), while Karsh has worked to establish himself as a DJ: He was the ears, I was the eyes . . . hearing the beauty, seeing the beat. Their relationship is tested when they travel to Bombay for the wedding of Dimple's cousin. Karsh thinks he knows the journey he is beginningsuccess as a DJ in the land of his deceased fatherwhile Dimple is searching for home, for the real India, for the soul of Bombay (referred to as Mumbai when discussed in the negative), and for a better understanding of herself. Because of Dimple's photographer's eye, this is a book rich in colors and images, though sometimes overwhelming in volume. Dimple's introspection is vividly experienced by a free-association narration that places the reader deep in her head. Answers are difficult to decipher, but the journey continues.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)