Gold Diggers
- Downloads：6423
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-06 11:52:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sanjena Sathian
- ISBN：0593401085
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A brilliant Indian-American magical realist coming of age story and the debut of a major talent
Spanning two continents， two coasts， and four epochs， Gold Diggers expertly balances social satire and magical realism in a classic striver story that skewers the model minority narrative， asking what a community must do to achieve the American dream。 In razor sharp and deeply funny prose， Sathian perfectly captures what it is to grow up as a member of a family， of a diaspora， and of the American meritocracy。 This blockbuster novel both entertains and levels a critique of what Americans of color must do to make their way。
A floundering second-generation teenager growing up in the Bush-era Atlanta suburbs， Neil Narayan is authentic， funny， and smart。 He just doesn't share the same drive as everyone around him。 His perfect older sister is headed to Duke。 His parents' expectations for him are just as high。 He tries to want this version of success， but mostly， Neil just wants his neighbor across the cul-de-sac， Anita Dayal。
But Anita has a secret: she and her mother Anjali have been brewing an ancient alchemical potion from stolen gold that harnesses the ambition of the jewelry's original owner。 Anjali's own mother in Bombay didn't waste the precious potion on her daughter， favoring her sons instead。 Anita， on the other hand， just needs a little boost to get into Harvard。 But when Neil--who needs a whole lot more--joins in the plot， events spiral into a tragedy that rips their community apart。
Ten years later， Neil is an oft-stoned Berkeley history grad student studying the California gold rush。 His high school cohort has migrated to Silicon Valley， where he reunites with Anita and resurrects their old habit of gold theft--only now， the stakes are higher。 Anita's mother is in trouble， and only gold can save her。 Anita and Neil must pull off one last heist。
Gold Diggers is a fine-grained， profoundly intelligent， and bitingly funny investigation in to questions of identity and coming of age--that tears down American shibboleths。
Spanning two continents， two coasts， and four epochs， Gold Diggers expertly balances social satire and magical realism in a classic striver story that skewers the model minority narrative， asking what a community must do to achieve the American dream。 In razor sharp and deeply funny prose， Sathian perfectly captures what it is to grow up as a member of a family， of a diaspora， and of the American meritocracy。 This blockbuster novel both entertains and levels a critique of what Americans of color must do to make their way。
A floundering second-generation teenager growing up in the Bush-era Atlanta suburbs， Neil Narayan is authentic， funny， and smart。 He just doesn't share the same drive as everyone around him。 His perfect older sister is headed to Duke。 His parents' expectations for him are just as high。 He tries to want this version of success， but mostly， Neil just wants his neighbor across the cul-de-sac， Anita Dayal。
But Anita has a secret: she and her mother Anjali have been brewing an ancient alchemical potion from stolen gold that harnesses the ambition of the jewelry's original owner。 Anjali's own mother in Bombay didn't waste the precious potion on her daughter， favoring her sons instead。 Anita， on the other hand， just needs a little boost to get into Harvard。 But when Neil--who needs a whole lot more--joins in the plot， events spiral into a tragedy that rips their community apart。
Ten years later， Neil is an oft-stoned Berkeley history grad student studying the California gold rush。 His high school cohort has migrated to Silicon Valley， where he reunites with Anita and resurrects their old habit of gold theft--only now， the stakes are higher。 Anita's mother is in trouble， and only gold can save her。 Anita and Neil must pull off one last heist。
Gold Diggers is a fine-grained， profoundly intelligent， and bitingly funny investigation in to questions of identity and coming of age--that tears down American shibboleths。
Reviews
Nichole
，
Thank you， NetGalley and Penguin Press for providing Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian in exchange for my honest review。Gold Diggers is a lot。 We follow teenager Neeraj “Neil” Narayan as he moves through a mystery， a jewel heist， history， romance， some magical elements， and the pressures of having very little ambition。 For me the book questions what it means to be successful in America and what’s the cost？ Sathian dives into what it looks like to be a second-generation Indian American in the Atlan Thank you， NetGalley and Penguin Press for providing Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian in exchange for my honest review。Gold Diggers is a lot。 We follow teenager Neeraj “Neil” Narayan as he moves through a mystery， a jewel heist， history， romance， some magical elements， and the pressures of having very little ambition。 For me the book questions what it means to be successful in America and what’s the cost？ Sathian dives into what it looks like to be a second-generation Indian American in the Atlanta suburbs during the Bush era。 While I didn’t LOVE Gold Diggers because of the slow pacing， it has so much to offer the world in general。 The characters range from absolutely intriguing to terrifyingly real and that alone would make me recommend this to others。 The story itself has realistic elements that are compelling and thought-provoking。 A book club could spend multiple meetings dissecting the imagery and metaphors throughout。 I just wish it had flowed a little better for me personally。 。。。more
Robin
，
Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian has already landed a deal with Mindy Kaling to be developed into a TV series， and that can be attributed to the excellent premise of the novel。There are so many good elements in Gold Diggers - this story has a bit of mystery， a jewel heist， history， romance， magic， and social commentary on the pressures and emotional labors of being the model minority。Gold Diggers is a coming of age story about a second-generation Indian American， Neil Narayan， as he grapples with Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian has already landed a deal with Mindy Kaling to be developed into a TV series， and that can be attributed to the excellent premise of the novel。There are so many good elements in Gold Diggers - this story has a bit of mystery， a jewel heist， history， romance， magic， and social commentary on the pressures and emotional labors of being the model minority。Gold Diggers is a coming of age story about a second-generation Indian American， Neil Narayan， as he grapples with being the ideal， successful son and trying to find place in America。 The book questions what does it mean to be successful and at what cost to ourselves and our well-being。 Additionally， this story delves into what it means as an immigrant， particularly an Indian-American immigrant， and what it means to see yourself reflected in America’s heritage and as an American。While I wanted to love not just like Gold Diggers， because this story has so much offer however， I felt like something was missing to tie together the story together。 Perhaps it would have been better told from another character’s perspective。 At times， the pacing of the story was a bit off and slow， but the concept and themes in the story kept me dedicated to see the book through。 Honestly， I think someone could write their thesis on this book， because there is so much to dissect and the way Ms。 Sathian uses gold as a narrative thread through its imagery and metaphors is outstanding。 。。。more
Katherine
，
This book absolutely sparkles， filled with the same hopes and dreams of the gold it centers around。 Sathian spins a tale that's completely captivating， I can't wait to push it into the hands of every customer I see。 This book absolutely sparkles， filled with the same hopes and dreams of the gold it centers around。 Sathian spins a tale that's completely captivating， I can't wait to push it into the hands of every customer I see。 。。。more
Alicia
，
https://wordnerdy。blogspot。com/2021/0。。。So trying to explain this is going to be a lot: this book is about a young Indian-American boy， crushing on/friends with the Indian-American girl who lives catty-corner， when he discovers her mother makes her a magical lemonade infused with stolen golden jewelry， which gives her the ambitions/skills of its owner。 So of course he drinks it。 Things don’t go as planned， and ten years later he’s a cokehead avoiding working on his dissertation （this section did https://wordnerdy。blogspot。com/2021/0。。。So trying to explain this is going to be a lot: this book is about a young Indian-American boy， crushing on/friends with the Indian-American girl who lives catty-corner， when he discovers her mother makes her a magical lemonade infused with stolen golden jewelry， which gives her the ambitions/skills of its owner。 So of course he drinks it。 Things don’t go as planned， and ten years later he’s a cokehead avoiding working on his dissertation （this section didn’t work as well for me， because I’ve read enough books about messed up/depressed grad students） when the girl comes back into his life。 I liked the touches of magical realism， and that the book touches on identity and family in interesting ways。 It’s also really funny in parts。 I have some thoughts about the whole outsider narrator looking at the central mother-daughter relationship， but haven’t totally decided where I’m landing on that。 I might make my book club read this so I can discuss it with someone！ （Now that I think of it， this would be a great selection for more literary minded book clubs。 Lots of different things to talk about。） A-/B+。__A review copy was provided by the publisher。 This book will be released on Tuesday。 。。。more
Jillian
，
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I enjoyed this story of second generation Indian American and their struggles to find their own way on America。 This novel is rich with culture and heritage which is very interesting to read。 I found that the main character Neil did not really ring out as a developed character， but was more to love the （sometimes confusing） plot along。 I would have liked a little more of his character development in the be Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I enjoyed this story of second generation Indian American and their struggles to find their own way on America。 This novel is rich with culture and heritage which is very interesting to read。 I found that the main character Neil did not really ring out as a developed character， but was more to love the （sometimes confusing） plot along。 I would have liked a little more of his character development in the beginning， same with Anita， so that we cared more deeply as they moved throughout their lives。 。。。more
Ofdreamsandstories
，
Gold Diggers， the name itself is super catchy， top it off with this artistic cover and astonishing penmanship of Sanjena Sathian， you have a literary winner in the house！！ I adored reading this novel， narrating the story of Indo American families settled in suburbs of Georgia and the struggle and aspirations second generation Indians go through！ The story is narrated from Neil’s POV who is a non ambitious teen surrounded by his super ambitious Ivy League aspiring friends。 He is attracted to his Gold Diggers， the name itself is super catchy， top it off with this artistic cover and astonishing penmanship of Sanjena Sathian， you have a literary winner in the house！！ I adored reading this novel， narrating the story of Indo American families settled in suburbs of Georgia and the struggle and aspirations second generation Indians go through！ The story is narrated from Neil’s POV who is a non ambitious teen surrounded by his super ambitious Ivy League aspiring friends。 He is attracted to his neighbor and friend Anita who is harboring a secret with her mom。 Neil learns about the mother-daughter secret and joins their pact。 But overtime they realize the cost of their actions。The story resonated very well with me， as I am an Indo-American， settled in Sunny city California！ I could relate to Indian parents who has high hopes and dreams for their children， their ambition of achieving the Big American Dream in a foreign land！ Gold Diggers has its own unique humor and wittiness with very heavy focus on characters and story building， making this novel a marvelous literary fiction！Thank you @penguinpress and @netgalley for the advance galley in exchange of my honest review！ 。。。more
Jessie S
，
More like 4。5。 Heartwarming， endearing， thrilling at times！
Saumya •
，
Gold Diggers revolves around three people: Neeraj "Neil" Narayan， Anita Dayal and her mother Anjali Dayal。 the book is from Neil's perspective and it tells their coming of age story。 it builds on their second generation immigrant status， how they build their lives according to their parents expectations and how that sometimes drives them do something irrational in their case brewing magical potions to achieve success。 the book has hints of magical realism， a heist but is also a coming of age nov Gold Diggers revolves around three people: Neeraj "Neil" Narayan， Anita Dayal and her mother Anjali Dayal。 the book is from Neil's perspective and it tells their coming of age story。 it builds on their second generation immigrant status， how they build their lives according to their parents expectations and how that sometimes drives them do something irrational in their case brewing magical potions to achieve success。 the book has hints of magical realism， a heist but is also a coming of age novel。 it talks about what it is like to be Indian American especially at some points in the book， me as an Indian realised how the diaspora is simply unaware of the politics of the homeland especially with the mention of Hinduism and Bharminism so causally。 some parts of it when the did not sit well with me but moving on from that the story is about alchemy and heavily derived from Hindu mythology。 Neil and Anita are brewed ambition by Anjali which unknowingly gets them an addiction to the high。 they both deal with this in their own way to move on in their adult life after an incident forced them to stop brewing。 10 years later， they're reunited to save Anjali。 Although the book for me started quite interestingly building these characters somewhere along the heist bit it gets a bit slow。 the magic realism of the book is what was carrying me through it。 one hint: Indians do love their gold。 make what you want of this hint。 all in all its quite an enjoyable read and it builds really well。 definitely something one can finish in a single sitting。 3。75 stars out of a 5。Thank you NetGally and Penguin Press for the Advance Reader's Copy for an honest review。 。。。more
Katie Mac
，
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I didn't realize how satirical this book was going to be， but it worked really well for me。 In having the characters literally drink gold to get ahead， Sathian skewers the idea of the American dream being the ultimate goal and demonstrates the devastating effects of both unchecked ambition and the listlessness that comes with feeling like you SHOULD have this ambition even when you don't。 I didn't really connect with I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I didn't realize how satirical this book was going to be， but it worked really well for me。 In having the characters literally drink gold to get ahead， Sathian skewers the idea of the American dream being the ultimate goal and demonstrates the devastating effects of both unchecked ambition and the listlessness that comes with feeling like you SHOULD have this ambition even when you don't。 I didn't really connect with Neil， our PhD-candidate protagonist who turns to drugs to keep him going， but the plot is compelling， and I particularly enjoyed the literary asides containing more of the vignettes and historical fiction。 。。。more
Jean-Luc
，
A very entertaining fictional journey through the Indian American experience in early 21st century America。 A high-spirited narrative full of laugh aloud moments， tenderness， drama and an unforgettable cast of characters。 Following Neil & Anita's adventures will allow the reader to discover the many faceted aspects of the Indian diaspora in the US today as they try to reconcile their "Americanness" and their Indian heritage。 Lastly， It was very refreshing to read about an immigrant experience ta A very entertaining fictional journey through the Indian American experience in early 21st century America。 A high-spirited narrative full of laugh aloud moments， tenderness， drama and an unforgettable cast of characters。 Following Neil & Anita's adventures will allow the reader to discover the many faceted aspects of the Indian diaspora in the US today as they try to reconcile their "Americanness" and their Indian heritage。 Lastly， It was very refreshing to read about an immigrant experience taking place in Atlanta and its vibrant urban sprawl。 A nice geographical change for once。 A marvellous novel to be enjoyed without moderation。Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Press for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date 。。。more
Ann Marie
，
Special thanks to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC of this book for my honest opinion。Oh boy did I have to pay attention to this story。 Where to begin？ Maybe just pick it up and read it。 It was a little slow-going for me but I was happy to get it。Neil， has a perfect older sister going to Duke。 His parents do want the same for him and it's pressure。 But Neil only has eyes for Anita across the street， who her and her mother Anjali， have found a way to make a potion with gold， where whoever Special thanks to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC of this book for my honest opinion。Oh boy did I have to pay attention to this story。 Where to begin？ Maybe just pick it up and read it。 It was a little slow-going for me but I was happy to get it。Neil， has a perfect older sister going to Duke。 His parents do want the same for him and it's pressure。 But Neil only has eyes for Anita across the street， who her and her mother Anjali， have found a way to make a potion with gold， where whoever takes it gets the ambition and drive to be successful and live the American dream。 Amelia mother you see was very ambitious， but used the gold for her son's and not Anjali， so when Anjali came to America， she took the gold with her。 Neil， from across the street gets tangled up with them and somehow （not telling） becomes sucessful。Years later， Neil and Anita meet up again by coincidence and he's teaching about the gold rush， coincidentally again。 But Anita 's mom Anjalii is in trouble， so Anita and Neil have to come up with some thievery at high stakes to help her。 Slow in the beginning， this book picks up speed near the end。 3。5 stars rounded to 4。 。。。more
Drew
，
A warm and well-built debut。 Neil is a teenage boy living in a largely Indian-American community outside of Atlanta in the waning days of the W administration -- and the first half of the book is mostly high-school hijinks， with a little dash of the magically real and some tragedy to boot。 I really adored the first half of the book， and sadly didn't quite love the second half （jumping forward to Berkeley in 2016， with Neil doing his dissertation） as much; it was shaggier， both more plot-driven a A warm and well-built debut。 Neil is a teenage boy living in a largely Indian-American community outside of Atlanta in the waning days of the W administration -- and the first half of the book is mostly high-school hijinks， with a little dash of the magically real and some tragedy to boot。 I really adored the first half of the book， and sadly didn't quite love the second half （jumping forward to Berkeley in 2016， with Neil doing his dissertation） as much; it was shaggier， both more plot-driven and more interested in digressions of feeling。 But it was a pleasure to read about a community I don't often see in litfic and the warmth these characters brought in the first half helped me over the humps of the second half。 。。。more
RoshReviews
，
Gold Diggers is an Indian-American story unlike any I've read before。 It's quite a unique debut novel， focused on the desi diaspora in the US。 The narrator of the book is Neil Narayan （actual name: Neeraj）， a young Indian-American teenager。 His parents have high expectations from him and his older sister。 Unfortunately， the drive that fuels his competitive sister's ambition is missing in Neil and he finds himself struggling to meet their expectations。 His focus is more on his neighbour， Anita Da Gold Diggers is an Indian-American story unlike any I've read before。 It's quite a unique debut novel， focused on the desi diaspora in the US。 The narrator of the book is Neil Narayan （actual name: Neeraj）， a young Indian-American teenager。 His parents have high expectations from him and his older sister。 Unfortunately， the drive that fuels his competitive sister's ambition is missing in Neil and he finds himself struggling to meet their expectations。 His focus is more on his neighbour， Anita Dayal， who has a dark secret of her own。 Along with her mother Anjali， she brews a special potion made with gold stolen from other desi achievers to harness their energies。 After a certain tragedy causes them to part ways， the story resumes ten years later， where they need to return to their alchemical adventures once again， this time to save Anjali。The book aims to be a bildungsroman-cum-heist-cum-literary fiction-magical realism。 It performs wonderfully in the bildungsroman part， decently in the heist and magical realism sections but goes for a toss when it comes the literary fiction bit。 I did love the caricatured sarcasm in the book。 It takes a not-so-subtle dig at all those Indian Americans who want the best of American opportunities while looking down on American values。 They want their children to succeed at engineering or any such prominent field， they want their children to aim at the elite universities， they want their children to avoid alcohol and drugs and premarital sex and get married to their chosen Indian partner after "settling" in the career。 All the parents portrayed in the novel except Anjali are stereotypical。 Then again， these stereotypes are based very much in reality， though they seem like an exaggeration。I also appreciate how the author didn't present a picture-perfect cultured Indian-in-America story。 The younger generation is shown to have American struggles， American thinking， American attitudes， while still having the Indian guilt hammered in them courtesy their parents。 Neil feels tremendous pressure from his parents to become "something"， to justify their "shift across the oceans"。 It's a nice insight into the pressure that the younger generation （born in America to desi parents） feels regularly。 I wish the rest of the book could have matched up to these two positive points。 I didn't like the narrative pov of Neil。 He was boring and almost self-obsessed。 I wish the narrator had been Anjali or Anita。 The story would have had so much more to offer if it were from either of their perspectives。 Even a multi-pov narration would have worked well。 Neil the narrator simply couldn't handle the burden of telling their story effectively。 The flashbacks that offer Anjali's story are way more interesting than the present seen through Neil's eyes。 The book starts off very well and until about 40-45%， I was quite hooked onto the story though it was slow-paced at times。 After that mark， it just dragged。 The plot meanders a lot and ends up becoming a tedious torture。 It doesn't recover its momentum till the very end。 I was on the verge of giving up on the book many times。 The only reason I read it till the end was to know the whats and whys of Anjali's story。 That ending did provide some closure， but not satisfaction。 The book would have been much better with a strict editing， making the narrative tauter and cutting out all unnecessary chaff。 All in all， this was a book that had tremendous potential but failed to achieve the promised heights。 It is still a great debut， especially in terms of its innovative storyline。 All it needed is a more focused narrative， a better protagonist， and crisper editing。Thank you， NetGalley and Penguin Press， for the Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review。***********************Join me on the Facebook group， Readers Forever！， for more reviews， book-related discussions and fun。Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews 。。。more
Libriar
，
3。5 stars。 This book about Indian immigrant families set outside Atlanta in the mid-2000's started out very strong。 I loved everything about the characters being in high school - even the magical realism stuff。 The book took a turn when it is 10 years later and those same kids who were their families' hopes and dreams are now floundering。 It's not that they were floundering that bothered me， it's the quest for literal gold and how that eventually went down that bothered me。 So not a great ending 3。5 stars。 This book about Indian immigrant families set outside Atlanta in the mid-2000's started out very strong。 I loved everything about the characters being in high school - even the magical realism stuff。 The book took a turn when it is 10 years later and those same kids who were their families' hopes and dreams are now floundering。 It's not that they were floundering that bothered me， it's the quest for literal gold and how that eventually went down that bothered me。 So not a great ending but still an engaging book for adults that should also appeal to older high school students。 （I received an advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley。） 。。。more
Laura Dvorak
，
When you REALLY want to love a book， but it just doesn’t happen。。。 I was so excited to get a galley of GOLD DIGGERS earlier this week since it has some of my favorite things: second generation protagonists， family drama， and just a touch of magical realism。 But it was soooo slow， and I struggled to invest in Neil as the narrator when there were so many more interesting women around him; one of the few times I wished a novel had been told from multiple perspectives。 GOLD DIGGERS has already b When you REALLY want to love a book， but it just doesn’t happen。。。 I was so excited to get a galley of GOLD DIGGERS earlier this week since it has some of my favorite things: second generation protagonists， family drama， and just a touch of magical realism。 But it was soooo slow， and I struggled to invest in Neil as the narrator when there were so many more interesting women around him; one of the few times I wished a novel had been told from multiple perspectives。 GOLD DIGGERS has already been optioned for TV， and I think it could play better on the screen for sure。 Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an eARC in exchange for this review。 。。。more
Valerie
，
***Edit 4/5/21: I've been reflecting on this book over the last few weeks and feel like my review needs some amending。 I'd consider this a 3。5 star read， maybe even 3。75 stars。 It has stuck with me， and it touches on a lot of elements of the second generation American experience （particular for Indians） that I think are important and interesting， particularly after taking some time to discuss the book with my first generation Indian immigrant friend。 The more time has passed and the more I've ru ***Edit 4/5/21: I've been reflecting on this book over the last few weeks and feel like my review needs some amending。 I'd consider this a 3。5 star read， maybe even 3。75 stars。 It has stuck with me， and it touches on a lot of elements of the second generation American experience （particular for Indians） that I think are important and interesting， particularly after taking some time to discuss the book with my first generation Indian immigrant friend。 The more time has passed and the more I've ruminated on the story， the more I enjoyed it。 I would be interested in seeing the TV adaptation that is in the works， as Mindy Kaling purchased the television rights。 I also had a comment on my basement issue - someone pointed out to me that the suburbs of Atlanta have many houses with basements。 Thank you for clarifying that and correcting me！This story highlights the difficulty of being a second generation American， specifically the need to be very successful in order to make your parents sacrifice in moving to a new country a worthwhile venture。 Neeraj "Neil" Narayan is struggling to do just that in high school and later as an adult。 In feeling the pressure to succeed when he constantly feels less than and unable， Neil stumbles into a way to harvest the ambition of others to buoy his own success through his next door neighbor and crush， Anita， as well as her mother， Anjali。 But after a tragic event Neil realizes the cost of this borrowed ambition is high， something that will plague him for years to come。 I appreciated this story of the immigrant struggle to achieve the often unachievable and unrealistic American Dream - it's a sad commentary on how Americans define success - and enjoyed being transplanted into an Indian-American family。 As an adult， Neil is using various drugs to attempt to make something of himself， an element I wasn't quite sure I found believable for a variety of reasons （an example: how is a grad student on a grant， without a job， able to regularly afford cocaine and other drugs？） and I can't say I felt particularly attached to any of the characters。 One small detail bothered me for its lack of believability: early in the book， numerous scenes （some insignificant， some more important） happen in basements。 However， this book takes place in Georgia， and based on my own knowledge of the South （friends and family who live in Georgia and North Carolina） and a little internet research， the majority of homes in the South do not have basements - they either have crawl spaces or are built on slabs。 I thought at first maybe this was the author writing about an area she was not familiar with， but it turns out the author grew up in Georgia。 I imagine any Southerners reading this book would find the fact that various scenes take place in a basement as unbelievable as I did， if not more so （my friend is Georgia actually thought this was laughable）。 Ultimately， this is a decent story with some thought provoking moments from a debut author that shows promise， but it was just an OK read for me。 Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an e-galley。 。。。more
Manchester Public Library， CT
，
***Edit 4/5/21: I've been reflecting on this book over the last few weeks and feel like my review needs some amending。 I'd consider this a 3。5 star read， maybe even 3。75 stars。 It has stuck with me， and it touches on a lot of elements of the second generation American experience （particular for Indians） that I think are important and interesting， particularly after taking some time to discuss the book with my first generation Indian immigrant friend。 The more time has passed and the more I've ru ***Edit 4/5/21: I've been reflecting on this book over the last few weeks and feel like my review needs some amending。 I'd consider this a 3。5 star read， maybe even 3。75 stars。 It has stuck with me， and it touches on a lot of elements of the second generation American experience （particular for Indians） that I think are important and interesting， particularly after taking some time to discuss the book with my first generation Indian immigrant friend。 The more time has passed and the more I've ruminated on the story， the more I enjoyed it。 I would be interested in seeing the TV adaptation that is in the works， as Mindy Kaling purchased the television rights。 I also had a comment on my basement issue - someone pointed out to me that the suburbs of Atlanta have many houses with basements。 Thank you for clarifying that and correcting me！This story highlights the difficulty of being a second generation immigrant， specifically the need to be very successful in order to make your parents sacrifice in moving to a new country a worthwhile venture。 Neeraj "Neil" Narayan is struggling to do just that in high school and later as an adult。 In feeling the pressure to succeed when he constantly feels less than and unable， Neil stumbles into a way to harvest the ambition of others to buoy his own success through his next door neighbor and crush， Anita， as well as her mother， Anjali。 But after a tragic event Neil realizes the cost of this borrowed ambition is high， something that will plague him for years to come。 I appreciated this story of the immigrant struggle to achieve the often unachievable and unrealistic American Dream - it's a sad commentary on how Americans define success - and enjoyed being transplanted into an Indian-American family。 As an adult， Neil is using various drugs to attempt to make something of himself， an element I wasn't quite sure I found believable for a variety of reasons （an example: how is a grad student on a grant， without a job， able to regularly afford cocaine and other drugs？） and I can't say I felt particularly attached to any of the characters。 One small detail bothered me for its lack of believability: early in the book， numerous scenes （some insignificant， some more important） happen in basements。 However， this book takes place in Georgia， and based on my own knowledge of the South （friends and family who live in Georgia and North Carolina） and a little internet research， the majority of homes in the South do not have basements - they either have crawl spaces or are built on slabs。 I thought at first maybe this was the author writing about an area she was not familiar with， but it turns out the author grew up in Georgia。 I imagine any Southerners reading this book would find the fact that various scenes take place in a basement as unbelievable as I did， if not more so （my friend is Georgia actually thought this was laughable）。 Ultimately， this is a decent story with some thought provoking moments from a debut author that shows promise， but it was just an OK read for me。 - Valerie， Circulation Librarian 。。。more
Marie Halloran
，
Interesting。。。
Candace
，
Neil Narayan is growing up in an Atlanta suburb， attending Okefenokee High School， struggling to keep up with his immigrant parents' high expectations。 His friends are a bunch of Indian-American kids and some Asians （Indians were not "South Asians" then。） He and his childhood friend Anita may be the only ones who are not completely involved in preparing for Harvard from grade 9。 But Anita is changing。 Suddenly she is trying out for Miss India Georgia， she's talking about the Ivies and has a kind Neil Narayan is growing up in an Atlanta suburb， attending Okefenokee High School， struggling to keep up with his immigrant parents' high expectations。 His friends are a bunch of Indian-American kids and some Asians （Indians were not "South Asians" then。） He and his childhood friend Anita may be the only ones who are not completely involved in preparing for Harvard from grade 9。 But Anita is changing。 Suddenly she is trying out for Miss India Georgia， she's talking about the Ivies and has a kind of glow。 Neil feels left out， and the only thing that keeps him from sinking into mediocrity is his terrifying debate partner Wendi Zhao， who attempts to kick him into competence in debate--his only extracurricular activity。 Wendi plans on Harvard， and since Neil is her assigned debate partner he HAS to perform。 A reconnection with Anita reveals her secret--her mother's gold-based alchemical concoction that allows the drinker to imbibe the traits of the gold's owner。"Gold Diggers" will follow this group into young adulthood， ending with a convoluted heist to boost their prospects。 The result is not what anyone expects。This is a charming book， very readable， a coming-of-age story about first generation immigrants finding their way amidst impossibly high expectations。 Throw in alchemy， and you are glued to the page。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this fine title！~~Candace Siegle， Greedy Reader 。。。more
Karen Reed
，
4。5 stars This book reminded me of The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri but with a magical twist。 This is a story about the immigrant experience， the cost of the "American dream"， the complex ties between assimilation and generational conflict。 Neil ia complex and vulnerable MC and narrator。 I think I was immediately pulled into this story because of his believable voice and his struggle accepting himself and the pressures of a high achieving environment。 I thought this accurately reflected the pressur 4。5 stars This book reminded me of The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri but with a magical twist。 This is a story about the immigrant experience， the cost of the "American dream"， the complex ties between assimilation and generational conflict。 Neil ia complex and vulnerable MC and narrator。 I think I was immediately pulled into this story because of his believable voice and his struggle accepting himself and the pressures of a high achieving environment。 I thought this accurately reflected the pressure that many students feel today。 The added concept of "using" gold as a drug felt believable and not like fantasy at all。 The lore of the gold digger weaved through out this book highlighted Sanjena Sathian as a masterful storyteller。 I can't wait to see what she writes next。 Add this to your library shelves。 Also recommended for older high school students。 。。。more
Kim McGee
，
Welcome to the high stakes， sleepless nights， chemical enhanced world of these children of immigrant parents of Asia。 The number one goal is to give your child every opportunity and infuse them with whatever it takes to be the best in school so they can get into the next level of best schools so they can be the best job and make their family proud。 Neil is pushing himself as hard as he can trying to live up to his parents expectations but he is not in the 99% which makes him open to a miracle。 T Welcome to the high stakes， sleepless nights， chemical enhanced world of these children of immigrant parents of Asia。 The number one goal is to give your child every opportunity and infuse them with whatever it takes to be the best in school so they can get into the next level of best schools so they can be the best job and make their family proud。 Neil is pushing himself as hard as he can trying to live up to his parents expectations but he is not in the 99% which makes him open to a miracle。 The miracle is found in his friend's mom and her interesting sideline of blending stolen gold into a magic elixir that promises to sharpen mental focus。 Years go by and Neil is now a history grad student but he gets pulled back into the old business to help Anita's mom。 This clever debut is a sarcastic look at the American Dream and the ambition and drive of these new Americans to have their children succeed。 Funny in a bittersweet way， this book is solid gold for readers of the immigrant experience。My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Kate Jordhamo
，
What a debut！This has everything I love in a novel: sharp， witty writing， a vulnerable narrator， a dash of magical realism， a depth of culture， an eccentric cast of characters， metaphors， and even a heist。 In this novel， we follow Neil， a second generation Indian， as he discovers that Anita， the girl next door， has a magical secret。 From their teen years to adulthood in Silicon Valley， we follow Neil and Anita as they reckon with parental expectations， what it means to be Desi in America， and th What a debut！This has everything I love in a novel: sharp， witty writing， a vulnerable narrator， a dash of magical realism， a depth of culture， an eccentric cast of characters， metaphors， and even a heist。 In this novel， we follow Neil， a second generation Indian， as he discovers that Anita， the girl next door， has a magical secret。 From their teen years to adulthood in Silicon Valley， we follow Neil and Anita as they reckon with parental expectations， what it means to be Desi in America， and the different shapes ambition can take。 The pacing was a little off throughout the story， but I truly enjoyed the journey and thought the ending was thought-provoking and satisfying。I am excited to read whatever Sathian writes next！ 。。。more
Pooja
，
One of the best！ Gold Diggers taps into some profound questions about American-ness， ambition， manifest destiny and meritocracy。 But it's also hilarious， one of those novels that may be a bit impolite to read in public because you'll be laughing， loudly and often， as you do。 It is also a page turner par excellence。 I found myself rushing to find out what happens next but also not wanting it to end。The magical realism here is deft and inventive and operates even on the level of history， and when One of the best！ Gold Diggers taps into some profound questions about American-ness， ambition， manifest destiny and meritocracy。 But it's also hilarious， one of those novels that may be a bit impolite to read in public because you'll be laughing， loudly and often， as you do。 It is also a page turner par excellence。 I found myself rushing to find out what happens next but also not wanting it to end。The magical realism here is deft and inventive and operates even on the level of history， and when history becomes myth。 And though it is IMO the funniest desi novel since Midnight's Children， it's also deeply melancholy， which is a magic trick unto itself。 As an Indian-American， I am grateful for the recent proliferation of fiction related to the diaspora。 We've moved beyond chopped onions and green chilis， cardigans worn over saris， and other signifiers of the either-or dilemmas the first generation faced。 I am thrilled to see a novel like this， which firmly embeds the "immigrant experience" in the American story。 。。。more
Jessica Woodbury
，
Thanks to the title， you never really have to wonder if this book is going to be so on the nose with its themes。 It may be a bit out of fashion in literary fiction these days to be so straightforward but it didn't bother me one bit。 Gold is so steeped in American and Indian cultures， so imbued with its own myths， that there is an awful lot to draw from and Sathian doesn't let any bit of it go to waste: the Gold Rush （particularly， but not only， in California）， alchemy， beauty， adornment， giftgiv Thanks to the title， you never really have to wonder if this book is going to be so on the nose with its themes。 It may be a bit out of fashion in literary fiction these days to be so straightforward but it didn't bother me one bit。 Gold is so steeped in American and Indian cultures， so imbued with its own myths， that there is an awful lot to draw from and Sathian doesn't let any bit of it go to waste: the Gold Rush （particularly， but not only， in California）， alchemy， beauty， adornment， giftgiving， love， it is all here。 All the shiny pieces of it add extra layers to the second-generation immigrant story， the clash between parental ambition and youthful rebellion， the tension between assimilation and cultural preservation。 And， to top it off， we have a coming-of-age story of guilt and loneliness。There is a sheen of surrealism atop it all， and it's expertly done。 The surreal elements of the book are there to amplify the emotions and themes， even while they give the plot a device to work around。 They feel as timeless as any piece of folklore， and they really mesh with the weight of the novel。 It is， simultaneously， steeped in the past while also being hyper-specific to a few modern times and places。 （The first section takes place in 2006 in suburban Atlanta， the second in 2016 in the Bay Area。） There is a lovely melding of the big themes and old stories with the very specific story of Neil that works quite well。 The only part of this meshing I did not find totally successful was the prose itself。 To me， the parts that were closest to Neil's own point of view were the best， the sharpest， the saddest and the funniest。 The prose that was bigger， broader， more "literary" never quite hit that same spot of satisfaction for me， though I know for many people that kind of writing is required for a book to be taken seriously。 （I find it silly， but ultimately it's not my call。）I also have to add that there is a heist in this book。 Because I know how much many of you love heists。It's a very assured debut， I was not surprised to see the author's extensive literary pedigree， and I am glad I picked it up。 Very excited to see what Sathian does next。 。。。more
vee
，
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc of this book。 Gold Diggers was something new， something I've never read before。 The story revolves around Neil， our main character who gets caught up in a whirlwind of magic realism with his neighbors， Anita and Anjali Auntie。 The story was persistent on one thing。 The Desi experience， and I felt like this story captured what it essentially meant to be Desi in America。 The pressure of doing well in academics， the stress over college and Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc of this book。 Gold Diggers was something new， something I've never read before。 The story revolves around Neil， our main character who gets caught up in a whirlwind of magic realism with his neighbors， Anita and Anjali Auntie。 The story was persistent on one thing。 The Desi experience， and I felt like this story captured what it essentially meant to be Desi in America。 The pressure of doing well in academics， the stress over college and the life that comes after， the truth that comes in with fiction。 Though the pacing of the book was quite slow， something I did not enjoy， the story was still compelling。 Being Indian myself， there was some things I did not relate to， as known， since every experience is different。 The obsession with drinking and drugs at such a young age with Desi teens didn't seem realistic， but the thing that was relatable was ambition。 We see as the characters parents， similar to every immigrant's parents， come to this country for a better life for their kids。 Though I could not relate to everything Neil and Anita did， I still found their struggles the same as mine。 In the end of this book， I think my favorite part was the ending。 No spoilers， but the reasoning behind why Anita and Anjali did what they did， was thought provoking。 We always hear to do good， and though our characters were not always doing the best， the ending I felt， showed why they did everything they did。 It came off to me as going back to ones roots， in some form。 Having those characters show up made me feel sad， in a way。 Gold Diggers is a good tale， with elements that come to play into real life。 This thought compelling and provoking is something that is sure to remind you of the better things in life。 。。。more
Theodore McCombs
，
Early in "Gold Diggers，" high-schooler Neil trudges through his English teacher's assigned reading of "stories depicting the somber reality of the immigrant experience。" It's the gentlest irreverence， but "Gold Diggers" makes good on it: this coming-of-age magical heist novel is anything but somber， or real。 On the one hand， the novel is boldly， gloriously about its slacker-and-striver odd couple of second-generation desis stealing gold from other Indians to alchemize a literal recipe for succes Early in "Gold Diggers，" high-schooler Neil trudges through his English teacher's assigned reading of "stories depicting the somber reality of the immigrant experience。" It's the gentlest irreverence， but "Gold Diggers" makes good on it: this coming-of-age magical heist novel is anything but somber， or real。 On the one hand， the novel is boldly， gloriously about its slacker-and-striver odd couple of second-generation desis stealing gold from other Indians to alchemize a literal recipe for success。 The absurdism and deeply felt critique of this slice of Indian America is fun to read and hard-earned。 The prose is natural but full of canny， beautifully rendered observation， and the plot is well crafted。On the other hand， the novel's even bolder claim is that "the immigrant experience" is not in the slightest bit separable from "the American experience"; the story of striving， thieving， irresolute， and sentimentally ruthless Neeraj， Anita， and Anjali is also the story of the California Gold Rush and Bay Area tech cults。 Indian myths are American myths， and vice versa。 "Gold Diggers" is a thoughtful， weird， wonderful American novel and I can't wait for the next。 。。。more
Tejas Sathian
，
A wonderful and original story that takes the reader on a ride to several distinct milieus （19th century gold rush California， 1980s Bombay， 2000s suburban Atlanta， 2010s Bay Area） connected by a common thread of gold， which stands for immigrant ambition and the forms it inhabits。 The novel manages to funnily shed light on elements both particular （its depiction of South Asian American immigrant communities） and universal （notions of familial pressure， communal belonging， the legacies of history A wonderful and original story that takes the reader on a ride to several distinct milieus （19th century gold rush California， 1980s Bombay， 2000s suburban Atlanta， 2010s Bay Area） connected by a common thread of gold， which stands for immigrant ambition and the forms it inhabits。 The novel manages to funnily shed light on elements both particular （its depiction of South Asian American immigrant communities） and universal （notions of familial pressure， communal belonging， the legacies of history， the products of ambition）， while using magical realist approaches to drive the plot and convey symbolism。 Give it a first read to enjoy the fast paced plot， then go back with a finer comb to sift through the intricate and layered commentary and reflection！ 。。。more
James Beggarly
，
Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin Press for the early ebook。 This is such a fun novel， infused with a clever touch of magical realism throughout。 In a suburb of Atlanta， during the Bush administration， we follow high schooler Neil Narayan as he seems to be stumbling through his life in a tight knit community of second generation Indian families。 While others are strategically going after Ivy League colleges， Neil is barely getting by and desperately in love with his next door neighbor， Anita Dayal Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin Press for the early ebook。 This is such a fun novel， infused with a clever touch of magical realism throughout。 In a suburb of Atlanta， during the Bush administration， we follow high schooler Neil Narayan as he seems to be stumbling through his life in a tight knit community of second generation Indian families。 While others are strategically going after Ivy League colleges， Neil is barely getting by and desperately in love with his next door neighbor， Anita Dayal。 They were close when they were younger but now Anita is getting amazing grades and competing in Miss Teen India。 Neil stumbles onto one of the reasons why Anita is doing so much better: Her mother， Anjali， has been creating a potion that contains the stolen gold from the families they know and Anita drinks this potion and takes on the best parts of the gold’s owners， such as being better at math， being more confident， being able to study longer， etc。 Neil wants in。 He and Anita， drinking the potion regularly， start doing amazing things in school， but everything comes to a halt when tragedy comes to their small community and Neil and Anita start to realize the toll that their getting ahead in life is having on the ones being left behind。 The second half of the book takes place ten years later when Neil and Anita， who don’t speak anymore， are both living in Silicon Valley， he as a struggling graduate student in history and she as an event planner who has dropped out of working in finance。 They get back together to try and help Anita’s mother and to see if they can find a way to live good lives without the gold that once made them so unique。 This is such a smart and well written book。 It’s a little surprising that it’s a first novel and makes you interested to see what the author comes up with next。 。。。more
Syd Kominski
，
This is a really wonderful book。 On the surface it has some familiar elements: magical realism， a slacker narrator， taut storytelling。 But Gold Diggers raises its deeper questions about the costs of ambition with the subtlety of the best novels。 It gets at whether careerism is the only way for immigrants to fit into the American story indirectly， via a running conversation with history。 The role of intergenerational trauma in shaping diaspora families is a matter of alchemy， equally if not more This is a really wonderful book。 On the surface it has some familiar elements: magical realism， a slacker narrator， taut storytelling。 But Gold Diggers raises its deeper questions about the costs of ambition with the subtlety of the best novels。 It gets at whether careerism is the only way for immigrants to fit into the American story indirectly， via a running conversation with history。 The role of intergenerational trauma in shaping diaspora families is a matter of alchemy， equally if not more mysterious than the book’s magical elements。 The book also addresses universal themes with surprising grace for a first novel， especially the issue of when and how to let go of the mistakes we make when we’re young。 I found the second half， where these threads come together in the narrative， to be particularly poignant。 The book is also just plain funny。 I especially enjoyed the pointed but loving send ups of Silicon Valley， Indian American weddings， the Atlanta suburbs， and academia。 Gold Diggers is a thoroughly entertaining and genuinely moving debut。 。。。more
Liza
，
Sanjena Sathian's debut novel is a fully original story that harnesses the fever of the California Gold Rush， the intoxication of the American dream， and the pressure of the modern day immigrant parent all in one story。 In Atlanta， Georgia we meet Neil / Neeraj， a second-generation teen struggling to live up to his Indian-born parents’ goals。 He’s surrounded by Asian-American whiz kids whose academic and extracurricular activities leave him in the dust。 He simply seems to be missing the drive。 H Sanjena Sathian's debut novel is a fully original story that harnesses the fever of the California Gold Rush， the intoxication of the American dream， and the pressure of the modern day immigrant parent all in one story。 In Atlanta， Georgia we meet Neil / Neeraj， a second-generation teen struggling to live up to his Indian-born parents’ goals。 He’s surrounded by Asian-American whiz kids whose academic and extracurricular activities leave him in the dust。 He simply seems to be missing the drive。 He’s also besotted with his neighbor， Anita， an exceptionally successful student as well as a leading contestant for Miss Teen India Georgia。 It’s like she’s in overdrive， imbued with some extra special quality that Neil can only fantasize of obtaining。 But then Neil discovers Anita’s secret to success。 I won’t give it all away， but Anita’s power lies in gold and alchemy。 In exchange for his silence， Neil obtains access to Anita’s secret weapon and suddenly he’s able to compete with his peers， he’s able to meet his parents’ weighty expectations。 But this success comes with a price， as well as a level of addiction， and one fateful event shatters everything。 Ten years and a number of partially-managed addictions later， the cycle begins again。 。 。I love discovering new and distinct voices in literature and Sathian’s voice is fully her own。 She’s already an award-winning author of short fiction as well as a winner of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans。 Her first book is undoubtedly a success。 Sathian starts a necessary conversation about the pressures that immigrant parents so often place on their children， centered around a protagonist that breaks the stereotype of the Asian-American overachiever。 I loved her use of gold as a central player in the story and as a metaphor for both the intoxication of the American promise and the addiction of its pursuit。 Sathian’s play of alchemy， culture， history， and lore in a modern drama is enchantingly delivered。 I would absolutely love to hear what second-generation readers think of this story。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Gold Diggers
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Gold Diggers&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Gold Diggers&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0