The Taste of Ginger(93)

Mom took my hand and said, “Preeti, I’m proud of the woman you have become.”

I was so shocked to hear the words that I’d been searching for since I was a little girl. A tear formed in my eye, and I realized this was the only thing I needed from her.

As I watched a monkey hop onto the garden wall from a nearby tree, I realized that for the first time in thirty years, she had given me her blessing to live as I chose and deviate from the plan she had mapped out for me. I had been striving toward that moving target for most of my life. I had been searching for my identity and sense of belonging everywhere other than the one place I had needed to. I had convinced myself that I needed to know who I was without my family and culture getting in the way. But that had been an impossible goal. My family and culture were the backbone of my identity, and I’d never be whole without either. And I had to accept that I would never fully belong to India or America. Being adrift was the plight of any immigrant, and it was foolish to think that I could somehow circumvent that. But I now felt like I belonged in the only place that mattered. I inched closer and rested my head on my mother’s shoulder as the hichko swayed back and forth, the scent of jasmine all around us.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


My journey to publication has been long and winding, and there are many people to whom I owe my deepest gratitude. First is my agent, Lauren Abramo, who championed my authentic voice and story from the start, and without whom I would not have come so far in this journey. Second is my editor, Alicia Clancy, who seamlessly picked up where Lauren left off and pushed me to an even deeper and more genuine place with this story. I am eternally grateful to these talented women who helped make my lifelong dream come true.

This book would also not be possible without the wonderful team at Lake Union who helped guide this new writer from story to book. A huge thanks to Danielle Marshall, Gabe Dumpit, Rosanna Brockley, Nicole Burns-Ascue, Susan Stokes, Riam Griswold, Heather Buzila, Micaela Alcaino, and Christina L.

Special thanks to the talented instructors at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program who began guiding me on this path over a decade ago, especially Claire Carmichael, Deirdre Shaw, and the late Linda Palmer.

Thank you to the amazingly talented writer Julie Buxbaum, who led me to the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program all those years ago, and whose advice on everything from writing to agents to publishing has been invaluable. Thank you for showing me what was possible.

A special thank-you to author, generous spirit, and all-around badass human Jennifer Pastiloff. Your words and positive energy found me at exactly the right time and helped propel me to this finish line. Publishing this book was the goal on my sticky note in Ojai, so thank you for helping to send some magic my way.

A huge thank-you to April Spurlock, my first writer friend, for her early and repeated reads of this story over the past decade, and for the many hours of discussion about my writing. Your belief in me and this story helped make this book possible. I’d also like to thank Sonam Makker and Srivitta Kengskool, whose insights helped shape this story during various stages.

Finally, there are no words to express my gratitude for the love and support of my family as I pursued this writing dream, even if they didn’t understand it! Tejas, no matter what happens in life, I know my older brother is in my corner, and I am lucky to have that. Mom and Dad, the older I get, the more I appreciate the sacrifices you have made and continue to make for me. You taught me to be resilient, compassionate, and empathetic regardless of the circumstances, and those lessons have enabled me to become who I am today.





QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION





The title of this novel is based on the Indian proverb that translates as “a monkey does not know the taste of ginger.” What do you think this proverb means? What related themes did you notice in the novel?

Throughout the story, we learn that Preeti felt the only way to assimilate into American culture was to adopt as many white traits as she could. Do you think she had other options? Do you think she made the right decision? Do you think it’s possible for someone like Preeti to be accepted into white American culture while still retaining her Indian culture?

Preeti felt the burden of being an immigrant child and thought it was her duty to ensure her parents didn’t have to struggle financially. That is part of what drove her to pursue law rather than photography. Do you think she made the right decision? Or do you think she gave up on photography too easily after it not working out for a year after college?

When it comes to careers, Preeti’s dad says that “meaning is something reserved for the rich,” and that is a “luxury” that they, as working-class immigrants, don’t have. Do you agree?

Preeti is reintroduced to the caste system as an adult in this story and draws parallels between her family being upper caste in India’s system and middle caste in America’s. She wonders why her parents would willingly stay in America after they made that realization. Why do you think her parents remained in a country in which, in many ways, they had a harder life than they would have had if they had stayed in India? Do you think it would ever be possible for Preeti to reach the highest caste in America through hard work or assimilation, or do you think societal caste systems are determined by immutable factors?

Preeti struggles with maintaining social customs in India when she starts to have feelings for Tushar. In the end, she does not want him to give up his culture to explore something with her when she is uncertain. Do you think she made the right decision? Should she have followed her heart even if things with Tushar might not have worked out?