Just before Keya Das’s tragic death, tensions are high in her conservative Bengali family. Keya had just come out as gay.

Years later, her father finds old notes, writings, and a manuscript that all belonged to her. With this new outlook into her life, he begins to heal.

Highly recommend this beautiful and heartwarming story about the life, death, and family of Keya Das.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I would give this 4.5 stars, because it's not perfect but I really enjoyed this novel and read it in one sitting. As a queer Indian-American myself, and someone who is not much older than Keya, I found it very easy to relate to so many different aspects of the story. I felt that all of the characters were complex and well-developed, and the non-linear timeline kept me engaged without being too confusing. Additionally, the plot of this story is unlike anything I've read before, since it centers around Keya's family coping with their grief at her loss and their guilt at not accepting her coming out by putting on a play to commemorate her life. I think the author handled their emotions beautifully and gave readers the space to understand generational differences that are so commonly seen in Indian diaspora societies. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, but especially QPOC and their family members. I am so impressed by the fact that this is a debut novel and cannot wait to read more from Sopan Deb.

Content Warnings: homophobia, grief, loss of a child

There is so much I loved about this book. This is a story of a Bengali family struggling with grief after their daughter dies. The father, mother, and sister are also dealing with the heavy weight of guilt because none of them were not in a good relationship with the daughter/sister at the time of her death. The story deals with how they resolve this so they can move on from their grief and guilt. The best part of the book is how they do this because it is in a very unique way. I also loved that the ending is very open ended. You feel that all the main characters are in a much better place than they were at the beginning, but you can imagine for yourself how each character moves on from this point.

Amazing debut from Sidik Fofana, a school teacher in Brooklyn! Stories from the Tenants Downstairs is a collection of eight short stories that each are written from the point of view of a tenant living in Bannekar Terrace, a low-income high-rise in Harlem. His storytelling is exceptional and he gives life and depth to his characters. This book provides intimate & emotional perspectives from characters struggling not only with everyday worries like making rent, but bigger concerns with gentrification threatening the future of their homes. I highly recommend this book, coming out in August!

Keya Das tragically died 5 years ago but her family has still not properly processed their grief. Her parents are now divorced and her sister barely sees them. But when Keya's father finds a box of notes and a manuscript in a box in the attic, it might just be the one thing that brings the family together again. You see, Keya had just come out to her family about being gay just before she died. It fractured the deeply conservative Bengali family and just as acceptance might have been looming around the corner, Keya died and grief and guilt was all that remained. But with the discovery of the manuscript, the family hopes to bring Keya "back to life" and right the wrongs that they weren't able to do while she was still alive.

This book gives you all the feels. You can feel the pain and suffering of the parents who bear the constant guilt of not having accepted their daughter with love when she first came out to them. Her sister Mitali has also suffered with her own guilt of being angry with Keya for not confiding in her sooner and not being there for her sister before her death. The characters were flawed but human and the way they slowly came together to move forward was a wonderful journey. I was so sad when the book came to an end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Handling grief, especially when accompanied by guilt, is a daunting undertaking. In this novel, the reaction of Bengali parents to their daughter’s coming out as gay sparks a separation. When their daughter dies in a car accident, suddenly there is grief added to guilt. The author uses a play left behind by the daughter to drive the examination of how people mourn, deal with their loss, and eventually change and accept reality. I thought the storyline was very creative and well done as well as the exploration of the emotions the characters went through.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC to read and review.

The Das family (parents Shantanu and Chaitali and daughter Mitali) is dealing with the grief and guilt after the death of Keya, the younger daughter. Prior to Keya's death, relations in the family were strained after Keya revealed she was gay. The family falls apart, each processing the death in different ways. A box containing an unfinished play co-written by Keya will be a catalyst for change.
Beautiful story about family and second chances.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

Keya Das’s Second Act – a story of deep regrets, fresh starts, and moving on - is a big warm hug of a novel.  Sopan Deb’s take on domestic agonies and blisses feels incredibly fresh, enough to make you feel like you’re in the hands of a master.

The Das family is in a state of flux. Dr. Shantanu Das is a fifty-two-year-old professor at Rutgers but his life has fallen into a depressing routine.  His wife Chaitali has divorced him, and he’s in the process of selling the New Jersey house he’s lived in for decades. He regrets that he doesn’t have a relationship with his daughter, Mitali, who refuses to speak to him.  He feels isolated from the Bengali-American community which once vibrantly bolstered his life during his twenties and thirties. But most of all, he regrets that he didn’t reconcile with his daughter, Keya, before she died.  Keya’s coming out happened only days before her death and he was unable to accept her before she passed on.

While cleaning out the attic, Shantanu discovers a box of Keya’s possessions in the attic. And among those possessions is a script for a play she co-authored.  Neesh Desai, Mitali’s new boyfriend, suggests that they stage the play – since he works with renting performance spaces, he can get them a stage.  Shantanu suddenly has new purpose; he gathers together everyone in Keya’s life to put the play on and tries to build social bridges back into his community. That means getting along with Mitali’s new boyfriend and with Chaitali’s husband Jahar, it means trying to heal the family’s old wounds – and it means finally meeting with Keya’s girlfriend, Pamela Moore, to get her permission to stage the play, as she is Keya’s co-author.

This book is a fantastic, healing journey that takes the reader deep into Bengalese culture and shows how hard – yet ultimately worthwhile – making amends can be. Every character is fascinating enough to make one yearn to spend more time with them (I wanted more time with Pamela and Mitali, for instance).

It’s soothing to spend time with the Das family; they aren’t perfect people, but they’re willing to be better people, and that’s what makes following them so much fun.  They grow a lot, and all of them ultimately end up showing their love for Keya in different, unique ways.

Keya herself perfumes the novel, appearing through the work put into her play, hovering over them all through flashbacks, shared memories, and tender thoughts.  And in the meantime we finally get to see Shantanu discover life again, which is a really touching thing to behold.  In the end, bridges are built, communities come closer together, exes understand one another better and the Das family becomes bigger instead of smaller.  It’s a wonderful, emotionally true book that cares about family and art.

Keya Das's Second Act is a beautiful work of art, and it ought not to be missed by anyone who likes a heart-tugging family saga.

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Wonderfully sweet debut novel from Sopan Deb. The story centers around a family tragedy, hope for change, and finding a way to begin again. A young daughter (Keya) comes out to her family, and dies shortly after, leaving her family in turmoil as they reflect on their individual responses toward Keya’s confession. Shantanu, her father, discovers a hidden box in the attic that helps to bring the family together again as they find a way to honor Keya’s memory.

I felt this story was a good depiction of a Central Asian family in America. The tale explored each family member's reaction to a stunning announcement by one of the children. The book explores each characters reckoning with the announcement and the fall out from it.

I read this book for pride month as it represents a young girl having the courage to come out to her Bengali family and how their initial reaction to it will leave an ever-lasting impact on them after she dies suddenly in an accident. While the Das family can never show Keya how much they regret their reactions, how they choose to live afterwards can make a huge impact on them and the people around them. When Keya's Dad find's Keya's unfinished play, I love that he wants to include more people in his life to share it with. What comes after is heartfelt and moving and motivating.

What I loved about this story is that it shows a family and the people around them that has their flaws, but they keep on trying. This is also set in NJ which has a huge Indian/Bengali culture (I happen to be from NJ!)

Contemporary fiction and stories surrounding family heartache isn't my normal goto for books, but this one really spoke to me and I'm glad I chose it.

There were too many story lines running throughout the book and I found it distracting. I don’t see why Neesh had to have a dark past. The broken family theme resolved too quickly after a five year span. The buy in of a famous director was too convenient. The book was a decent read but I’d hoped for Meroe. For those who want a simple read and easily put doubts aside, go for it.

Thank you to Net Galley for a preview of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Deftly combines lyrical prose with heartrending subject matter, family, and friendships.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4

Keya Das’s Second Act centered the story of a family caught in the seemingly-never ending blackhole of grief after Keya, who is the daughter of Bengali Americans Shantanu and Chaitali and the sister of Mitali, unexpectedly passes away. The family is trapped in a cycle of blame, guilt, and what-ifs because before Keya’s death, she came out to her parents as gay and they reacted poorly. Shantanu discovers an unfinished play written by Keya and her girlfriend, Pamela, when they were in high school. The family comes together again, along with found loves and new friends, to stage this play in Keya’s honor.

As someone who is a queer WOC, I thought this story was such a wonderful insight into the mindsets of non-white parents navigating the discovery that their child is queer. I thought that the growth each of the characters displayed in their acceptance of Keya and their acceptance of their grief and guilt was beautifully done. This play gave them the opportunity to reconnect with Keya in the way she would have wanted — not necessarily giving them a do over to rectify their wrongs for the sake of no longer feeling guilty, but as a way to make Keya proud and help Pamela deal with her grief as well. It was beautiful to see this take shape and see the way each character connected with each other to grow despite their grief. This story did a beautiful job of showing one of the simultaneously amazing and saddening things about grief — it gets smaller, but it never really goes away. The author does a great job of reminding us that this is not necessarily a bad thing. Remembering and honoring those we love like the characters in this novel did for Keya helped them get to know who she was better & find some solace amidst the grief. Perhaps this story is the very reminder that we need to honor those that we love in life and death.

Definitely recommend this book!

I enjoyed the insights into Bengali American culture, and the characters were well-formed. I had some trouble with the premise of having the whole extended family engaged in "putting on a show" and that held me back from fully immersing into the story.

What I thought might be an all too sad read, given the subject matter, turned out to be redemptive and hopeful. So glad I read it!

Keya Das comes out to her Bengali American family and receives a less than welcome response. This crack created in their familial bond breaks wide open upon news of her death in a car accident not long after. Years later, after Keya's parents divorce, Shantanu (Keya's father) comes across a box in the attic - a collection of notes of affection between Keya and her girlfriend (Pamela) and a play the two girls wrote together. Mitali (Keya's sister) shares the play with her boyfriend, Neesh (once a drummer for the Broadway show, Rock of Ages, and with his own dark past), and they hatch the idea to put the show up as a dedication to Keya's memory. Shantanu is all in... But what do the Dases know about putting on a play?

The concept overall is fresh and Deb has produced a quietly strong book that examines family, grief, guilt and regret from myriad perspectives. There is a sharing of strong emotions without being dramatic and overblown; a reflection of the Das family's interactions in themselves.

As an avid theater fan with an understanding of the industry, I enjoyed following the process the Dases (and their partners) went through to get the production off the ground. The pressure on Pamela to give the play the "right" ending was balanced really well and I appreciated how Jerry, the play's egotistical Broadway director who sees this as his comeback, approached his discussions with her about it.

The jumping timeline was mostly effective but occasionally I had to reorient myself. There's also part of me that wishes Neesh's past didn't take up such a large part of the book. All of that being said, I enjoyed the purpose of each character, forcing each other to grow and step outside their comfort zones.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this advanced copy. This review expresses my honest opinions.

Keya Das's Second Act
by Sopan Deb
Pub Date: July 5, 2022
Simon Schuster
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Keya Das's Second Act is a story of redemption and righting the wrongs of the past, Keya Das’s Second Act is a warmly drawn homage to family, creativity, and second chances. Set in the vibrant world of Bengalis in the New Jersey suburbs, this debut novel is both poignant and, at times, a surprising hilarious testament to the unexpected ways we build family and find love, old and new.
I really enjoyed this book. We all make mistakes and often think we are more open-minded than we play out in reality. This book tackles the difficult death of a young lady who comes out gay to her family. The reader never meets Keya, which makes it even more poignant. The story made me laugh and cry. It tells of taking chances, of redemption, of forgiving (ourselves and others). According to the author, it’s based on a true story, which makes it all the more poignant. I was glued to the story, wanting to see how it would end (and what ending Pamela would come up with for the play). And surprisingly, I felt the ending was perfect.
Great book!
5 stars

I would in all fairness, probably give Keya Das's Second Act four and a half stars, because it isn't a perfect book for me, but that it isn't an option so I'm rounding up, because IT IS a really good book. The character in the title of the book is only seen in flashbacks; she died in a car accident several months after coming out to her parents and sister, an event that went badly. After Keya dies everyone that was close to her drifts away, like she was a sun holding the planets in orbit. Her parents, Shantanu and Chaitali, get divorced. Her mother remarries to another member of their Bengali community, and her dad drinks and falls apart. Her older sister Mitali rarely interacts with her parents beyond obligatory holiday appearances. But then one day Shantanu stumbles upon letters and a play of Keya's in the attic and Mitali's secretive boyfriend Neesh's suggests the play has potential. Mitali makes the suggestion of staging the play to her parents and grandmother and her father decides to help her proceed forward, along with some help from his new girlfriend Catherine, a woman he meets in the improv classes Mitali's gifted him for Christmas. With significant others that allow them to become happier, healthier people, Mitali and Shantanu recognize the value in processing their feelings about Keya, and bringing to life what amazing person she was through her play. They may even convince Chaitali to get on board, but they have one other person who needs to be a part of bringing The Elm Tree to life - Keya's high school girlfriend Pamela. The Elm Tree is autobiographical, telling a slightly fictionalized version of Keya and Pamela falling in love, and then breaking the news to their families. With Keya gone, and her parents never aware of Pamela's love for her, Pamela is faced with finally coming out to her family and finishing Priya and Kate's story, one Keya never had the opportunity to finish before she died. It's not entirely fair to say the book is fully about second chances, because Keya's family doesn't have a chance for a do-over to get things right with her. But it is a book about new beginnings, open-mindedness and forgiveness. Shantanu, Chaitali, Mitali and Pamela have been waking up every morning, but they haven't been living life to the fullest, and bringing Keya's story to life changes that for each of them. It also reconnects Neesh with someone from a past he's trying to move on from that will result in a moment of reckoning in his relationship with Mitali. This book also addresses the differences in acceptances in different generations, especially in a community with strong religious beliefs and culture. Shantanu has a difficult time accepting Keya's sexuality because it was strongly enforced by his own father that relations between the same sex were wrong. If he had been raised differently would his response to Keya have been different? Would things have been different if Keya hadn't of cut herself off from her family after their initial reactions, instead of giving them time to process her news and see things from her perspective? Learning something unexpected about someone you love can be really hard - and both supporting them and processing it can be a difficult tightrope walk to balance. This is a very thoughtful novel that examines these things and the fallout that can occur. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a warm and sentimental story told from multiple points of view about a family dealing with regret and missed opportunities. The story is similar to Razoblade Tears but with a much more optimistic and hopeful tone. I loved the way Bengali culture was incorporated throughout the book. Even the most minor characters felt real, like a true balance of good and bad traits.

18 year old Keya tells her family she is gay and it isn’t received well. She dies shortly afterwards, leaving her family regretful about what they could have done to support her while she was alive. The story is very creative about how the family comes to celebrate Keya and deepen their understanding of each other. The secondary plot with Neesh and friends is a little weak, and it felt unresolved.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.