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Title details for Habitations by Sheila Sundar - Available

Habitations

A Novel

by Sheila Sundar
Priya Ayyar
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
A young academic moves from India to the United States, where she navigates first love, a green card marriage, single motherhood, and more in this "delightful novel, written with immediacy, warmth, and wry humor" (Ha Jin, National Book Award­–winning author of Waiting).
Vega Gopalan is adrift. Still reeling from the death of her sister years earlier, she leaves South India to attend graduate school at Columbia University. In New York, Vega straddles many different worlds, eventually moving in and out of a series of relationships that take her through the striving world of academia, the intellectual isolation of the immigrant suburbs, and, ultimately, the loneliness of single motherhood. But it is the birth of Vega's daughter that forces the novel's central question: What does it mean to make a home?

Written with dry humor and searing insight, Habitations is an "irresistible debut" (Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) about identity, immigration, expectation, desire, and love lost and found. But it is also a universal story of womanhood, and the ways in which women are forced to navigate multiple loyalties: to family, to community, and to themselves.

A "sweeping, immersive, and utterly perfect" (Weike Wang, author of Chemistry) meditation on the many meanings of home and on the ways love and kinship can be found, even in the most unfamiliar of places, Habitations introduces Sheila Sundar as an electrifying new voice in literary fiction.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 2, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781797177113
      • File size: 350064 KB
      • Duration: 12:09:17

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 19, 2024
      Sundar debuts with an earnest meditation on an Indian American graduate student’s grief, loneliness, and longing. Vega Gopalan unexpectedly gets pregnant while pursuing her PhD in reproductive rights. Her loveless marriage with Suresh lacks the passion she once felt for her college girlfriend Naomi, though she struggled with letting herself be emotionally vulnerable in that relationship as much as she does with Suresh. She traces the root of the problem to her grief over her younger sister Ashwini’s death in India, where Vega grew up and where their parents still live. Vega was 17 when Ashwini died of a heart condition that could’ve been easily treated had the family lived in America. Now, having spent several years in the U.S., Vega has mixed feelings about the country’s abundance of resources, given their asymmetrical accessibility, and she begins to reflect on her own privilege as a Brahmin in India. Sundar offers a fresh perspective on the pressures of motherhood and desire for self-fulfillment as Vega considers leaving Suresh and co-parenting with him. This leaves readers with much to chew on. Agent: Judythe Cohen, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Priya Ayyar brings emotional depth to this novel about a young Indian American woman's coming of age and unexpected entry into motherhood. She captures Vega--a quiet, shy college student--at a time of raw vulnerability by gently voicing her hopes, fears, triumphs, and heartaches. In an understated style, Ayyar softly explores Vega's exploration of what transforms a house, a city, or even a country into a home. Ayyar invites listeners to inhabit the life of this young first-generation American, to walk in her shoes and feel her struggles and joys. Vega grapples with her companionable but passionless marriage, establishes her own goals, and embraces her surprise pregnancy. Ayyar's thoughtful performance draws listeners in as empathetic witnesses. M.R. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2024

      Sundar's intimate debut examines the life of Vega Gopalan, a sociology student who has moved to New York from her home in South India. As her world expands, she engages in a fleeting relationship with a professor, friendships with two international students, and a burgeoning romance with her roommate Naomi. Vega later pursues graduate studies in India, marries, returns to the U.S., has a child, and divorces. Throughout her circuitous journey, she continues to work through the grief of losing her younger sister, who died when Vega was a teenager. Sundar's slice-of-life portrait of Vega meditates on the challenges of navigating grief, marriage, academia, and single motherhood as an Indian American woman in a privileged, white society. Priya Ayyar narrates with a subtle, even approach that allows the nuances of Vega's emotions to come through. Ayyar's thoughtful presentation, enhanced by carefully modulated accents and voices, makes for an immersive listening experience. VERDICT A pensive yet gently humorous listen for fans of sensitively drawn character studies. Recommended for fans of Amitava Kumar's Immigrant, Montana.--Laura Stein

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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