No Trespassing - Brinda Narayan

Fiction

Verdict: Meh

This is the first book I've ready by Brinda Narayan.  The book follows the upward shooting trajectory of a middle class family aiming to fit in with the hoi polloi of Bangalore. They move into a weird, super exclusive, gated community. They never quite fit in and eventually start noticing weird neurological symptoms in their children. Vedika, the main character, brings this up in the community and is quickly hushed as no one wants to admit anything is wrong with their children. Vedika's son dies in mysterious circumstances and she sets out to untangle why. She ends up on a wild chase far into the past, including her own parents and weird clowns. The novel winds up with a disappointing reveal that the neurological symptoms were caused by lead and it was actually a bizarre plot from a tragic incident happening in Vedika's childhood far away.  

While there are breadcrumbs dropped through the book about the past, it seems like a stretch when the author finally reveals, with great relish, the revenge plot. Vedika's main characteristic is neurosis and the rest of the characters fall flat as well. I believe the dynamics between Vedika and her husband are meant to make them seem relateable, but they just end up being irritating because they are so common place. Death of a child makes couple fight, the husband always believes his wife is reading more into everything than she should, we don't have much to connect over anymore because he works so much. It's trope city. 

There's also a weird obsession about social status, being middle class, and how glamourous and dangerous climbing the social ladder can be. The author insists upon obsessively comparing middle class upbringing with being rich. At the end of the novel, I couldn't help but have this super weird feeling that the ultimate point of the novel was a moral lesson about not reaching above your grasp....which again is an overused concept and disappointing.

It's a decently written novel and to be honest, I didn't see the revenge plot coming. Unfortunately, this is ruined by generic writing and a heavy reliance on too many tropes. Read it if you need a time pass for a Saturday afternoon and can deal with what I mentioned.

~Becky~