I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/uiqwuZFoM5s

This novel is set in contemporary New India. Each chapter is from a different character’s perspective, making the novel feel like linked stories which come together at the end. The protagonist, Maneka Roy, is a professor of creative writing at a university in the US Midwest. She has returned home to visit her father following the sudden death of her mother several months before. Maneka meets a woman from her past. Ramona had been the “princess” of their high school, wealthy, popular and beautiful. She had ignored Maneka at school but now takes her under her wing. Trump Towers is a major development in the city. This is a novel of class, envy and money. I loved it.

An interesting, thought-provoking book. The story is told from many points of view and explores the impact of differences in class and wealth in Indian society.

This book tells the story of multiple interconnected characters in Hrishipur, India. The description of the book focuses on Maneka, who has returned from the United States to visit her widowed father. However, there really is no central character in the book. Maneka was actually one of the least interesting characters to me. I didn’t care about her on again off again boyfriend in the United States or her flirtation in India. I also had little interest in Maneka’s school friend Ramona. Her story was too much like a soap opera for me. I was much more interested in Maneka’s father and how he was going to cope with the loss of his wife, his reduced economic circumstances and the local real estate debacle that permeated this book. I definitely preferred the stories of the less well-off characters and I wish that the whole book had been written about them. I have read better books exploring the class and economic differences in India. 3.5 stars rounded up for the parts of the book that I enjoyed.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

A sensitively-told story with well-etched characters. Mukherjee's novel gives us much to think about today's India without any pandering to the #SlumdogMillionare crowd.

Beautifully written, the book takes place in a small city of Hrushipur, India, where hopes and dreams are often dashed. The structure of the book was unique, each chapter headed with the name of ten different people whose lives interact, unfolding a story over three months. Maneka is a professor at a Midwest College, returning home to India. Her mother recently died, leaving her and her father bereft. Maneka gets together with Ramona, an acquaintance from high school who bedazzles Maneka, who doesn’t see the pain under the facade. New Westernized buildings are being constructed, but due to corruption and the economy, many remain unbuilt after taking money from the buyers. Class divisions, patriarchy, corruption and the false promises of wealth are themes in this excellent book, which I highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Hrishipur itself is a character in this novel of ten people in India, all interconnected, all heading toward a conclusion that will surprise you. No spoilers. It starts with Maneka, now a professor in the US, who did not grow up in Hrishipur and is somewhat stunned by changes in India since she left and then proceeds through her former BFF Ramona, her father's maid, a masseuse at a spa, a photographer and so on. It's a kaleidoscope approach which, regrettably, means the reader doesn't get to bond with any single character as it races from person to person. Clever, yes, and illuminating because the reader has the opportunity to reflect on our interconnectiveness. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut- I'm looking forward to more from Mukherjee.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advanced Reader's copy of this book! I loved being able to read about the glittering city that perfectly captures humanity that is Hrishipur. Mukherjee did an amazing job building and crafting this fictional city (and honestly, I couldn't believe it was fictional). It was perfect for the time and the setting. I wish I could have gotten to know the characters better, though. Because the story was capturing the timelines of multiple different characters, I struggled to really connect with any one of them. I think it would have been great to simply focus on Maneka, Ramona, and Salil, and leave at that. This will be far from Mukherjee's best work and I'm excited to see what Mukherjee comes out with next.

THE DREAM BUILDERS by Oindrila Mukherjee has a beautiful cover and the debut novel begins well, but quickly morphs into self-absorbed accounts from each of ten characters. There's Maneka, a Calcutta native who has emigrated to the United States and teaches creative writing while waiting for a green card; her father who is trying to better understand her while both mourn the passing of her mother; Ramona, a sort of friend from school days, and Ashok, a young photographer and Ramona's lover. Yes, they are all interconnected, including Jessica who has just started a catering business; Pinky, who provides massages to the much wealthier women; her son Jevan who has feelings for Chaya, the maid for Maneka's father. Each does have dreams and, in many ways, each person is his or her own best enemy. That adds a feeling of repetition and slows the story despite the unusual setting in a newly developed city in India. There are pointed, critical references to Trump Towers and the Americanization of other countries, but those, too, are restated with frequency. Mukherjee is a talented observer of human nature – unfortunately, the greed, worry, short-sightedness, and egotistical actions tend to make for sluggish, bland reading even though they contribute to a tragedy. She is successful, though, in contrasting lifestyles and opportunities between classes within modern day India; an important consideration, particularly as India's role in the world is debated as in this recent New York Times article: "Russia's War Could Make It India's World:"
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/31/world/asia/india-ukraine-russia.html

This novel begins with Maneka returning to India for the first time after living many years in the U.S. She lands in the fictional city of Hrishipur, where her mother and father moved for the promise of a new life in a beautiful new apartment complex that never came to fruition, taking with it their life savings. With her mother now deceased, Maneka struggles to come to terms with how much India has changed. What follows are vignettes from nine other characters living in Hrishipur, showing the experiences of people from different classes and backgrounds in modern India.

I love the narrative vehicle of showing many characters, all loosely related to one another, converging around a common theme or event. The whole book takes place over the summer that Maneka spends in Hrishipur and features diverse characters from Ramona, a wealthy woman who went to school with Maneka, to Maneka’s father’s maid, Chaya, to the masseuse, Pinky, at a parlor Romana and Maneka visit.

The novel is character-based and despite much in the way of plot is masterfully executed. I read it quickly in just a few days, found myself interested in all ten characters, each of whom received just the right amount of time and attention before moving on to the next. I loved the setting of a fictional city meant to represent modern India full of dreamers and schemers, corruption and hope. I would have been happy to spend more time in Hrishipur with any one of these characters.

This is a sparkling debut that I greatly enjoyed. I recommend it for fellow fans of Thrity Umrigar and look forward to future work by Oindrila Mukherjee.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tin House for the e-galley.

A well-woven novel constructed from a series of interconnected chapters/stories each featuring a single character.

Ten different characters walk the reader through life in the fictional Indian city of Hrishipur, a high-tech megacity that promises hope and dreams, often without actual fulfillment. We open with Maneka, who is visiting for the first time after living in American for several years. Her mother has recently passed, and in addition to spending time with her father, she also meets up with old acquaintances. Ramona, an old schoolmate, is our next POV, and we are thrust onward in a similar fashion through a web on ten interconnected characters.

I'll be honest, I didn't expect this book to be quite so bleak. At first, I was a bit piqued with the author. The way she has written this story makes it difficult to connect with the characters, as we cycle through so many of them for so brief a span. Having now finished the book, I am thankful to her, because I think it would have been truly depressing if I had felt a strong emotional connection to these individuals!

I found the fictional "dream" city to be a compelling concept, and the ever-present class distinctions in India are always interesting for me to read about from the perspectives of the people. The rising action of this book is so distressing to watch happen, like barreling toward a brick wall with cut brake lines. THAT BEING SAID, it was quite a ride! And I definitely recommend it as a unique read.

Thank you to Oindrila Mukherjee, Tin House, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

THE DREAM BUILDERS by Oindrila Mukherjee is a sweeping story of Hrishipur, a fictional city in India near New Delhi, where Maneka Roy spends a summer visiting her father after her mother’s recent passing. Now an English professor in a small Midwestern town, Maneka had grown up in Calcutta, and she struggles to adjust to the ritzy wealth of Hrishipur’s moneyed class.

Told from ten different characters’ perspectives, Mukherjee brings the promise and contradictions of modern India alive. Readers who prefer character-driven fiction should know that due to the alternating perspectives, we don’t spend a ton of time on a single individual, but all the characters are multidimensional and well-rendered. No one is a hero. Ultimately, the main character is the city of Hrishipur and all that it represents: class divisions, Americanization, survival, love, power dynamics, capitalism, corruption, prejudice, and bureaucracy.

The symphony of perspectives creates a striking, multilayered look into contemporary India, and Mukherjee’s lively prose keeps a propulsive plot moving through the connected narratives. Some of her characters fight to claim agency in a system stacked against them, while others feel crushed by a prison of their own making. It made me ask myself: What would I do if pushed against the wall?

THE DREAM BUILDERS pairs well with Megha Madjumar’s A BURNING as they examine the social, economic, and political forces that swirl in India, as well as the reverberations that America has overseas. I highly enjoyed the revolving structure of the story that gives a uniquely kaleidoscopic view into India today.

Thank you @tin_house @netgalley for the ARC and eARC. THE DREAM BUILDERS is out Jan 10th.

Each chapter is the story of an interrelated character, starting with a woman, mourning the death of her mother, returns to India after many years away and reacquaints herself with a high school classmate she always envied and culminating in a startling climax.

I really enjoyed the various viewpoints presented in the novel, and the class differences in India. I love the writing and it kept me interested .

This was my first book to read by this author but won't be my last! The story and its characters will stick with you long after you finish the story. Highly recommend!

An interesting tale. I liked the characters and the situations and dilemmas they had to endure. This author has some talent, and it shows here. Good stuff.

Thanks very much for the free ARC review!!

I like the solid feeling of visiting India without leaving my home. Mukherjee paints a vivid picture of India, its culture, its people, and its trials and tribulations, not to mention the ramifications of globalization. The layout was cunning. However, I am disappointed, there were far too many characters involved. Although the players were well sketched, unfortunately not enough to develop a true connection or attachment. With so many characters it dragged the story a bit. Overall, Mukherjee is a skilled writer possessing a stellar style. I enjoyed the story and would read more from Mukherjee. Notable debut. Surely keeping an eye out for this up-and-coming authoress.

A story from many perspectives of modern-day India and how it’s becoming Americanized. Had high hopes for this one.

Really struggled to connect with characters, as they seemed to be holding back details and didn’t seem reliable though written from an omniscient point of view. Didn’t get enough of any of them to know what to make of them.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tin House for the opportunity.

I started reading this book eagerly. This book depicted the different cultures of India and described the cultural differences between subsets of the people. The disparities among the wealthy, poor, educated, office workers, caregivers, maids are immense and very well shown throughout the book. Unfortunately, the book did not really allow me to bond with any characters as there were ten different viewpoints included in the book. This book was educational for me but did not engage my emotions. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Tin House Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.