We That Are Young
A novel
-
-
3.7 • 3 Ratings
-
-
- $5.99
-
- $5.99
Publisher Description
When a billionaire hotelier and political operator attempts to pit his three daughters against one another, a brutal struggle for primacy begins in this modern-day take on Shakespeare’s King Lear. Set in contemporary India, where rich men are gods while farmers starve and water is fast running out, We That Are Young is a story about power, status, and the love of a megalomaniac father. A searing exploration of human fallibility, Preti Taneja’s remarkable novel reveals the fragility of the human heart—and its inevitable breaking point.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Taneja's impressive debut uses King Lear as a template but fearlessly carves a territory of its own. While remaining close to Shakespeare's plot points, she offers a portrait of modern India both panoramic and complex, through the eyes of six main characters. The story begins in 2012 with Jivan Singh returning to his native New Delhi after 15 years in the United States. The illegitimate son of towering Indian magnate Devraj Bapuji, Jivan has come home as his elderly father prepares to hand off his business empire, but to whom? There are three daughters Gargi, Radha, and Sita as well as Jeet, a surrogate son and offspring of Devraj's right hand, Ranjit. Jeet's case for succession is weakened because he's gay (given the conservative nature of the business establishment), a fact he's loath to admit. Jivan, as a semi-outsider, is the ideal opening guide for the reader. The perspective shifts to Gargi, "custodian of her father's office." Business gives Gargi an adrenaline rush like nothing else. From Gargi, focus travels to Radhi (Regan to Gargi's Goneril), who's as "feminine" and sensual as her older sister is "masculine." Sections devoted to Jeet and Sita follow. Short chapters of Devraj speaking directly to the reader are interspersed throughout, and the plot follows his rapid mental and physical decline while Radhi and Gargi battle for control of his empire. Taneja's intricate, literary prose is heavy in both detail and reflection. This is a work of epic scope and depth that's bracingly of the current moment.
Customer Reviews
A Big Terrible Mess
I am not sure where the author wanted to go with this book. It results in one big swirling mess of dialogue, pace, character development, and plot. The very structure of the book and it’s mechanism of switching perspectives along the progressing timelines adds nothing to the story except length. It would have been more engaging to see this narrative play out from a third person omniscient one. The result would be the same but result in economy of words for a better read.
The characters were either flat or caricatures of stereotypical personas that don’t need bolstering. Stretched plot threads fall off like weak limbs in the winter or scatter too loosely like pollen in spring. The entire story is a gumbo of loose threads, circumstances, random dialogue, and the occasional lucid and moving line. The good parts often illuminate many social and economic issues that deserve proper attention but not in this package.
I honestly questioned my love of reading at various points. This was a slog to get through. Lesson learned, quit books sooner. It’s hard to say that because I thoroughly respect and appreciate the monumental effort it is to put together a creative effort like this and put it in the world. I think it could have been put forth with more brevity and a tighter more cohesive approach. Especially by using a single character’s perspective to take us through time and events.