If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi – Neel Patel
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [adapted from the dustjacket] Examining the collisions of old world and new world, small town and big city, traditional beliefs (like arranged marriage) and modern rituals (like Facebook stalking), the men and women in these stories are full of passion, regret, envy, anger, and yearning.
Expectation: A darkly comedic take on acknowledging your own shortcomings.
Reality: Recursive and mediocre. None of the characters are particularly likeable, which made reading this feel like a chore.
Recommended For: First generation children will probably find more relatable territory than most readers.
Why I Read It: Many critics have deemed Neel Patel an author to watch. This seemed like a good place to start.
My Take:
Neel Patel uses the 11 stories in this collection to primarily explore the themes of meeting family expectations versus exploring your passion and the pros and cons of holding a grudge.
The characters, mostly first-generation Americans primarily from Indian heritage, are struggling to balance the world of their parents and community expectations with American culture.
Four of the stories — “God of Destruction,” “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna,” “Just a Friend” and “The Taj Mahal” — were clear standouts, but each of them was not without criticism. While I appreciated the strong female and queer representation, Patel doesn’t really give you anyone to root for, which made this collection feel uneven and, at times, tedious.
Most the stories are a slight variation of the other. You can only read about a professionally successful person who is personally unfulfilled, adultery or sibling rivalry so many times before you become bored.
However, with the last two stories “World Famous” and “Radha, Krishna,” Patel takes an approach that I wish he would’ve applied through the entire collection. Exploring gossip amongst a small community, we’re presented both sides of the same story and the reader can draw their own conclusion.
To me, this delivered on the promise of the collection’s title and would’ve made a somewhat mediocre experience immensely more interesting. There are shades of greatness visible, which makes me interested in reading Patel again, but I wouldn’t prioritize it.
If you do decide to read this, skip the audiobook. Narrated by the author, the delivery is monotone and unengaging. Perhaps that’s why I found this so blah?
Rating (story): 2.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 2/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: May 9 – May 12, 2022
Multi-tasking: Encouraged. You don’t need a lot of concentration to follow each story and it will distract you from the unevenness.
