Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan immediately draws you in to this story of an Indian American family. After 36 years of marriage, Suresh and Lata get divorced. Suresh is navigating internet dating as he struggles with his new status. Lata gets a job at the local university library with her newly-found independence. Their daughter, Priya, and son, Nikesh, also have their own issues with their lives. Priya is a history professor at the local university, but is involved with a married man. Nikesh is an attorney in Manahattan, but his partner is a senior partner at the law firm. After a brief time of dating, they find out they are pregnant. Nikesh's priorities shift upon the birth of his son. At first it was a bit overwhelming with everyone having so many issues with their lives, but upon reflection, that is how most everyone's life is. The book was made more interesting by the cultural and generational issues of an Indian American family. The book is well-written with great insights sprinkled throughout the book, further emphasizing that life can be messy and still full of love and ;hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read the ARC of this novel.

Thirty-six years after their arranged marriage, Suresh and Lata split up, finding themselves and their two adult children adrift.

I heard great things about this one from my booksta friends, and it didn't disappoint! I loved the messiness and change that the characters went through as they tried to figure out their lives/how to turn their backs on societal expectations. The audio was well done, with one narrator for each perspective. Mother Lata was my favorite character - I loved her adventures at her new librarian job and her friendship/romance with jazz professor Len.

Thank you to @PRHAudio for my complimentary audiobook and Random House for my e-ARC.

A pleasant, domestic-feeling look at the inner lives and fresh beginnings of the members of an Indian American family. The characters are uneven, and since they each get a turn at narrating chapters, some parts of the book end up much more engaging than others.

This is a heartwarming and often humorous debut novel from the author. The story is told from the four POVS of
Suresh and Lata and their two children. Each character is flawed but sympathetic. The best part of this story was the look into the Indian American family, their marriage, the food and the culture. This is ultimately a story about an American Indian family trying to figure out life and love. It is a story about truth telling and second chances. It is also a story about acceptance of ourselves and our children as they are. My favorite line from the book thought by Suresh, “And there was still time left. Time to be a better father, a better grandfather, a better man. This was America, after all. It was never too late. You could always re-create yourself.”

“It was all so much easier when your kids were little children. When they asked you questions and listened carefully to your answers–even if those answers were made up and wrong. Then they grew up and didn’t care what you thought about anything–had zero interest in hearing your answers to questions they didn’t ask.”

The Late Bloomers in Deppa Varadarajan’s light-hearted novel may be Lata and Suresh Raman who now in their 50s, are divorced. But then again, perhaps all 4 members of the Raman family qualify as late bloomers. Lata, Suresh, daughter Priya and son Nikesh are facing emotional hurdles that they must cross in order to develop and move on in their lives.

The story unfolds through the voices of the four family members. Lata has been a good wife and mother, and her arranged marriage in India to Suresh has been in that sense a success, and with the kids born in America, grown and gone, Suresh and Lata built their ‘dream’ home. It was everything Lata wanted, and she fought Suresh’s basic cheap, gloomy nature every step of the way, but when the house was done, it seemed to be a monument to their lifeless marriage. Lata demanded a divorce and moved out.

With 35-year-old Priya (a single, medieval history professor) and 30-year-old New York attorney Nikesh still reeling from the news that their parents have split, both Suresh and Lata make efforts to move on. Lata gets a job in the university library and Suresh, now retired, goes crazy with Indian online dating. He drives all over the country to meet women and quickly discovers two things: that he is a hot commodity and that “all these internet women lie.” Some of the lies are what Suresh excuses as “RDT’S” (“Reasonable Deviations from the truth) such as knocking a few years off one’s true age. Suresh knocks a few years off of his age so he finds a few lies acceptable, but some of the lies are outrageous. Suresh’s expectations are beginning to shrink when he meets Mallika, a 40 something knockout who claims to be a widow. Meanwhile, Lata has gained a few workplace friends–including the outgoing-boldly spoken Deanna. A music professor begins to try and establish a relationship with Lata, but now in her mid-50s, Lata has never dated in her life. The only life she imagined beyond Suresh was a peaceful single existence without his constant bitching and grousing.

Daughter Priya is extremely successful but she is locked into a relationship with a married man. Her brother Nikesh seems to be the all-around success story as he is married to his older boss, Denise, and they have a child together. But Nikesh’s family don’t know that his life is unravelling. He isn’t married to Denise and their relationship is fraught with tension. When the 4 Raman family members converge for Nikesh’s son’s birthday, everything explodes.

There were some very funny moments in the book, and it was a fun, light read. Not my usual fare, and it was a little too sweet for my dark tastes. However, I loved Deanna who has some acid comments at just the right moments. One of the issues raised by the book is whether we can change–if we can get out of our old grooves. Priya has a fixed schedule with her married lover, and Nikesh, still moping over an old girlfriend, can’t seem to commit to Denise. Divorce has forced Suresh and Lata to change. Suresh is not at his best with Lata, and even though he’s morose, he wants fun–just has no idea how to achieve it. After Lata moves out, Suresh grows in some ways, but still with Lata he remains clueless. Here he is asking himself how on earth Lata can stand living in a small condo:

Well, whatever Lata paid to live here, I had a hard time imagining her satisfied with condo life. As I remembered it, Lata liked wandering through rooms. When we lived together in our house, I’d enter the kitchen, and soon enough, she’d wander into the bedroom to look for something. Or I’d go into the bedroom, and she’d wander into the guest room to collect another blanket. A compulsive room-wanderer, she was, going from room to room, fussing about, organizing trinkets, straightening pictures.


Review copy

Late Bloomers alternates between the points of view of four family members–divorced parents, Suresh and Lata, and their adult children, Nikesh and Priya. This Indian American family was born from an arranged marriage, and Lata has decided to start anew after 36 years married to Suresh.

I really enjoyed reading each family member’s perspective as the parents in their late fifties navigate life independently and their fresh starts in dating. Seeing the different ways their children reacted to their parents’ new lives was entertaining.

The Indian American experience is a highlight, as Suresh and Lata immigrated to Texas from India, and Priya and Nikesh were born and raised in the US.

The novel includes thoughtful lines about a mother’s love and a father’s love. So much about marriage is explored in this story. Aging and changing and second chances come through in the parents’ storylines, while the adult children reflect on expectations and are trying to figure out their own futures.

Some parts feel a little far-fetched, particularly in Suresh’s dating storyline, but it was, overall, an entertaining and sweet story of family and new beginnings. I really enjoyed the character of Deanna, a quirky side character who has an intergenerational friendship with Lata.

This review is posted on Goodreads Michelle Beginandendwithbooks and on FB and IG @beginandendwithbooks

This book is all about family and all the messiness. Parents divorcing after being married for over 30 year, She's had enough, She kept pushing her feeling and desires down to raise the kids. Now she is over it. She's moved out and found a job. He is staying in the house. It isn't until she is gone that he realizes how much she did. Their daughter's life is a mess. She doesn't tell them what is going on and when they do find out. How did we not see the signs? As for their son, he keeps up the "I'm fine" saying. All along things aren't fine. Until he can settle the past, he can't move forward. He needs to move forward to keep the family he created in tact. In the end, all you can do as a parent is to support your children and the choices they make. As for Lata and Suresh, will they get back together, time will tell. Suresh helped his grandson blow out the candle for his first birthday. Will wishes come true?

3.5 stars

Honestly, this was not a happy story. But it was a real one about one family's messy lives as they try to live between the expectations of their family members and what they think they want for themselves. Of the four characters, I liked Lata the most, and I really wanted her to find contentment. Suresh drove me crazy because of his holier-than-thou attitude toward women especially, complaining about them lying on profiles when he was doing exactly the same thing. He did show growth by the end, making him slightly less annoying. The kids fell somewhere in between in how much I liked them. While I disapproved of Nikesh lying to his girlfriend (and his family), I think I kind of understood how he ended up in the position he was in and why he found it so difficult to come clean. And Priya was whiny, and she most definitely shouldn't have been carrying on with Ashish, but I was angrier with Ashish.

Overall, this was a well-written novel with characters that were not easy to like (although I enjoyed some of the side characters like Deanna and Len), but it was a good story. I would recommend this to those who enjoy realistic fiction.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and the publishers, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such a fun and interesting family drama about an American-Indian family that starts out with the divorce of the parents after 36 years of marriage. We read from all 4 POV of the family, the mother, father and two adult children.

From the father we get to hear how "fun" it is to try and find a date online and how the women are never honest. From the mother who has never dated in her life because she had an arranged marriage and never dated before that day emerges to attempt to date=full on fear! The son and his companion and their sweet one year old son really gives them a run for their money. Lastly, the daughter who has a secret that she desperately doesn't want her parents to know.

I loved that each person had a unique problem that was very real to them, but not over the top. They had actual, real life problems and concerns that we humans tend to face. Much of their battle was what the others in their family would think and they behaved in a way to hide or protect themselves. Family! We love them, but they can also push our buttons, and you really feel that in this book.

It wasn't angsty, it was joyful. It was sad yet hopeful. It had the perfect recipe for an enjoyable family drama!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the e-copy of this book.

3.75 stars(rounded down). Enjoyable book about a family trying to survive a divorce later in life, as well as all the secrets they are hiding from each other. I enjoyed the characters (although they could be frustrating at times). The book ends on a hopeful note. It's a pleasant read.

"'I have a soft spot for underdogs. And late bloomers. You've told me a lot of things about yourself, so let me tell you something about me'

After thirty-six years of a dutiful but unhappy arranged marriage, recently divorced Suresh and Lata Raman find themselves starting new paths in life. Suresh is trying to navigate the world of online dating on a website that caters to Indians and is striking out at every turn--until he meets a mysterious, devastatingly attractive younger woman who seems to be smitten with him. Lata is enjoying her newfound independence, but she's caught off guard when a professor in his early sixties starts to flirt with her.

Meanwhile, Suresh and Lata's daughter, Priya, thinks her father's online pursuits are distasteful even as she embarks upon a clandestine affair of her own. And their son, Nikesh, pretends at a seemingly perfect marriage with his law-firm colleague and their young son, but hides the truth of what his relationship really entails. Over the course of three weeks in August, the whole family will uncover one another's secrets, confront the limits of love and loyalty, and explore life's second chances."

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

At its core, Deepa Varadarajan’s novel Late Bloomers is an exploration of a cast of unlikable characters (save for Lata, the matriarch of this dysfunctional family of four) who are still worthy of love.

While reading this book, I kept getting hung up on how unlikable Suresh, the newly-divorced ex-husband to Lata and his two children, Priya and Nikesh, were. They were each selfish individuals who were ready to point fingers whenever conflict arose. Much like the novel’s title suggests, they were late bloomers, a group of children stuck in adult bodies.

I began to understand that this was exactly what Varadarajan had set out to achieve with this cast of characters. Their ugliest thoughts were laid bare to us readers who were being asked to find something in them still worth loving and rooting for.

Perhaps most jarring was Priya’s inner dialogue. Examples include likening her affair with a married man to a heroin addiction or comparing the discomfort she felt discussing her sex life with her parents to the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. I’d highlighted these on my kindle with a series of question marks, thinking to myself, is this Varadarajan speaking or Priya?

I’d understood Varadarajan’s intention behind using such jarring language during the bar scene between Priya and Deanna. Deanna, much younger than Priya, calls her out on her self-pitying and childish behavior. Despite Priya’s insistence that she was nothing like her parents, she actually resembled them in many ways, primarily through her problematic language and political mindset stuck in the early 2000s. In many ways this conversation between Priya and Deanna mimics one would typically have with their parents.

While this novel didn’t blow me away, I took away more from it than I’d expected to. It was also funny! Overall, Varadarajan is a skilled and fine writer. This book is the kind you can devour in one evening. I enjoyed the storytelling but wished for a slightly more conclusive ending and added complexity to the characters, including Mallika.

This was a very sweet and unique read. I found myself coming back to this book to learn more about the different characters. I enjoyed this one.

Suresh and Lata were married for 30 years. They had met through an arranged marriage, and they had raised two children together. But over the years, they had grown apart. Suresh felt like Lata was no longer interested in him, and Lata felt like Suresh was taking her for granted.

Finally, they decided to get a divorce. The divorce left both of them feeling lonely and lost. Suresh was especially upset, because he had always thought that their marriage was strong.

Suresh and Lata are trying to navigate the modern American dating scene. It's not easy for them, because they are still very much influenced by the Indian culture in which they were raised.

Meanwhile, their children are also facing their own challenges. Their daughter is having an affair with a married man, and their son’s girlfriend had a baby and they aren’t married. Neither of them feel they can tell their parents the truth about these situations.

It's a difficult time for everyone involved, but Suresh and Lata are determined to find happiness. They know that it won't be easy, but they are hopeful that they can find love again.

I enjoyed this book and loved the characters. I laughed in some places and felt sad in others. I highly recommend this book.

Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan

Published: May 2, 2023
Random House Trade Paperbacks
Genre: Humorous Fiction
Pages: 368
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

DEEPA VARADARAJAN lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children. She is a legal academic and a graduate of Yale Law School. She grew up in Texas and received her BA from the University of Texas at Austin. Her short fiction has appeared in The Georgia Review, and her legal scholarship has appeared in The Yale Law Journal and many other publications. Late Bloomers is her first novel.

“And just like that, I was free.”

Suresh and Lara are newly divorced and trying to figure out how to move forward. Priya is seeing a married man, and though she knows it’s wrong, she isn’t sure if she wants to stop. Nikesh loves his son and his partner. Will secrets tear this family apart?

This was such a beautifully written novel. It was equal parts funny, dramatic, sad, and powerful.

I enjoyed how this story was told from multiple perspectives and how it mixed traditional culture with current culture. The themes in this book are so well done, and the things represented are beautiful.

I liked the characters in this book. It was lovely getting to know them and seeing things from their perspective. I enjoyed the way the past and the present were represented and how things were viewed through a different lens.

This was such a great read. The story flows well, and the plot is engaging. The use of emotions was well done, and the humor is all well placed.

This was a fantastic debut novel, and I look forward to reading anything Deepa publishes.

This story about an Indian family that is barely connected by the most fragile of threads is - not a delight, it's a bit too sad for that - an enjoyable read about a nearly terminally fractured family, already broken by the parents' late in life divorce and the childrens' questionable relationship choices. It was nearly impossible to like Suresh, and Priya wasn't much easier to warm up to. Varadarajan did an excellent job moving the story forward, even though some of the situations seemed a bit implausible, and it was an easy and quick read. I would be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

My thanks to Random House, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A crazy little family story told from each family member's perspective-- parents Lata and Sheresh divorce and their adult children handle this in different ways. When all of their lives seem to go awry at the same time, there is comedy, cringe worthy moments, and of course the love and reminders of family that underlying it all.

Dealing with traditions and traditional roles, familial and cultural expectations, and the fear of stepping outside all of them were major drivers of the story. There were some parts that were absolutely relatable regardless.

#arc
#netgalley
#latebloomers

Title: Late Bloomers
Author: Deepa Varadarajan
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Late Bl"omers" by Deepa Varadarajan

My Sentiments:

'Late Bloomers' was an intriguing story of an Indian American family of a divorced couple [Suresh & Lata] after 36 years of an arranged marriage, with a grown daughter [Priya] and son [Nikesh]. What had happened with this arranged marriage that, after so many years, they decided to call it quits? This couple had problems, and their grown son and daughter also had some issues. Be ready for a family of lots of drama and complicated dynamics that will keep one turning the pages to see what is coming next for this family. One of their biggest problems was the secrets that the son & daughter kept from their parents.

Be ready for a story told in four voices... Lata, Suresh, Priya, and Nikesh make the story enduring in many ways giving the reader a heartwarming storyline about this Indian family and also forgiveness, courage, along with its bravery. It was indeed engaging to see how the parents and adult children could adjust to this new life ahead of them by starting over.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of Late Bloomers!

I really enjoyed this family melodrama and found myself both smirking and feeling deeply for the flawed characters. This is such a fun debut and I hope there's more from this author!

After thirty-six years of a dutiful but unhappy arranged marriage, recently divorced Suresh and Lata Raman are trying to find their footing in the dating scene. Suresh has set up a profile on an Indian dating site and has been travelling cross-country meeting all sorts of women that he has matched with, each one in some way unsatisfactory. Lata has attracted the attention of a music professor at the university where she works, but she isn't sure that she is ready to take the leap yet. She is lonely, but fear of the unknown is holding her back. She is happy that she no longer has to listen to Suresh's grumblings day after day, and doesn't have to tiptoe around anyone's moods in the condo she is renting. Their daughter Priya finds her father's online dating distasteful, but she is harboring a huge secret of her own when it comes to her dating life. Their son Nikesh is a high powered attorney married to another attorney at his firm and they have an infant son. Nikesh is also harboring a secret from his parents concerning his relationship. Over the course of three weeks in August, the whole family will uncover one another's secrets, confront the limits of love and loyalty, and explore life's second chances.

This book was so good. I loved all of the characters, and the dynamics between them. I lost count of the number of times I laughed out loud, or had to read something funny to my daughter that I knew she would enjoy as well. This debut novel was well-written, and fresh, and had a great cast of characters that you became invested in. I look forward to reading many more books by this talented author!

Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan. Releasing May 2, 2023.

“My entire childhood, I would wonder my parents never kissed each other or hugged each other…or lit up around each other like some of my friends’ parents did.”
An Indian American family in Texas seems to be functioning ok until 57-year-old Lata decides to leave her surly 59-year-old husband Suresh after 36 years of marriage.

“My wife—ex-wife—always said I suffocated her with my pessimism, sucked the joy out of her like a Hoover….She never stopped to consider that maybe she brought out the negativity in me, that my so-called pessimism was more acute in her judgmental presence.”

Lata moves alone to her friends’ condo and gets a job working at a college music library where she meets an interesting music professor named Len. Suresh is devastated and begins dating via Indian dating apps. Meanwhile their 35-year-old daughter Priya whom they wish was married, has for two years been secretly sleeping with a married man, and their son Nikesh has been lying about being married to the mother of his 1-year-old son, Alok. Suresh is suddenly living with a young woman whom he dated once, and her son, and Lata is about to go on her first date with Len. Everyone comes together and all is revealed as Nikesh brings his family to celebrate Alok’s 1st birthday at Suresh’s house.

Though the characters are not as well drawn as they could be, I enjoyed reading each of their stories from their own points of view. Each is doing the best they can to navigate love, loss and life.

“How did I become the needy one, the one so desperate for my children’s approval, fighting for their time, fearful of losing their attentions and affections?”
This book was somewhat similar to Sonali Dev’s The Vibrant Years in that it’s about multi-generational Indian Americans trying to navigate the dating scene in the South. I recommend both!

Thanks #NetGalley for the ARC for Late Bloomers in exchange for an honest review!