✨ What is the price of the American dream? This book is an honest look at such a complicated and nuanced question. It’s a moving and heartfelt story that causes the reader to examine personal perspectives.

✨The characters are masterfully written with exceptional humanity and insight, and the themes of social class, privilege, immigration and generational trauma are expertly crafted here.

✨The pacing is just right with short chapters that really move the story along. I was glued to the pages from beginning to end. Every page evokes such empathy and conviction, and I just could not look away. At one point, I burst into tears and cried for a full ten minutes. Truly a thought-provoking and important read.

✨This will one park discussion for sure and would make an excellent book club pick.

I absolutely recommend this one! Don’t miss it!

My thanks to @marinerbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Ashok and Priya Shah immigrated to the U.S. shortly after their marriage twenty years ago, and hardwork and three kids later, they are ready to move into a highly coveted neighborhood of Pacific Hills. But just as they are working to get settled into their new place, disaster strikes and 12 year old Ajay is arrested. What unfolds next is intense, heartbreaking, and unfortunately, all too common in the U.S.

This book was absolutely incredible. It tackles so many critical issues from immigration, class, race, community, privilege, generational conflict, etc. It's so heavy hitting, yet it was a breeze to get through. The prose just flows so well and you're immediately sucked into the dynamics of this family and can appreciate just how difficult a situation like this would be - the stress of looking after your children, managing media attention, and trying to set the story straight. It's unfathomable to have this be one's reality, but we know many stories like this in America. It's an absolute must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A domestic thriller with bite, A Great Country brings that contemporary thrill to a story of an Indian family that is steadily moving up in stature and community.

Set in California: we meet the Shahs - a first generation Indian family who has worked and sacrificed in order to provide excellent opportunities for their three children. All. three are acclimating to their new home in the Beverly Hills style school district, leaving their familiar friends and lifestyle behind. When the youngest is arrested and jailed at age 12, a small snowball of a situation becomes a boulder, than an avalanche.

I loved reading and experiencing the different opinions of the many characters involved in this story. The characters and actions rang true! Somaya Gowda provides plenty of backstory in short chapters that move the story along quickly. It was fascinating, entertaining and satisfying!

From the publisher: A Great Country explores themes of immigration, generational conflict, social class and privilege as it reconsiders the myth of the model minority and questions the price of the American dream.

#mariner #shilpisomayagowda #agreatcountry

I didn't connect to this story early on with the writing and the plot. It is nothing against the book or author, but I realized I didn't care all that much about the story. I was hoping I would enjoy this, but it was not working for me.

The sun is shining, the sky a brilliant blue. Just another beautiful day in Southern California. The Shah family has been working their fingers to the bone to build a business, buy a home and provide the very best American life for their three children. Finally “making it” all the way to Pacific Hills, an upscale gated community near the ocean. One Saturday evening while attending a lovely dinner, the Shahs receive a confusing call that their youngest son Ajay (12 years old) is being held at the Orange County jail. Terrified, they race there as quickly as possible to find he is not the victim but is under arrest. Tall for his age, with no I.D. (why would a 12 year old have ID?) and on the spectrum, Ajay struggled to explain to the police why he was near the airport with a backpack of electronics. Roughing him up because he “resisted” arrest the frantic parents find Ajay bruised and battered, frightened and mute. In order to defend their actions the officers push forward with charges and the Shah family is set on an unimaginable rollercoaster that tips the scales of everything they ever believed about the American dream. Supported by a few good friends the Shah’s navigate the complicated procedures their child faces and deep racism they had long held themselves apart from. Friends, family, traditions and trust. This book dives deep beneath the surface forcing the reader to empathize with issues our country battles with every day. Since reading The Namesake (twenty years ago!) I have been enthralled by immigrant family themes, especially from India. The challenges of holding on to treasured cultural values while trying to assimilate and succeed in their new home is an emotional journey. Absolutely must put this one on your reading list in March 2024!

This is a well-written and powerful book exploring race, privilege, immigration, and generational conflict through the experiences and interactions of an Indian-American family in Irvine. Referred to as members of a "model minority" the Shah family has continuously improved their lot until they are now living in a privileged, gated community -- but things are severely tested when their (very tall) and quite probably on the autistic spectrum son is arrested for flying his drone near an airport in violation of a law of which he was (obviously) completely unaware.

What I love about this book is the way the author bluntly depicts the POVs of the many different character representatives of multiple social narratives fairly and explicitly, with all the casualness, anger, biases, and real experiences to support them. Very clear, very insightful, and full of character depth.

What I couldn't stand about this book, and what ultimately stopped me from finishing it, is that I felt like I was reading a Kafka novel -- it turns into an absolute nightmare in the bureaucratic judicial system and I just couldn't separate myself enough to not be feeling the stress anxiety at every step. I don't even know what happens at the end.

I give it five stars for the writing and the tackling of extremely difficult social issues, but I would not recommend for people who can't keep their empathetic anxiety under control.

OOOOH I loved this book. It's nuanced and thought-provoking AND ALSO vivid and blistering - in other words, it's massively memorable, and endlessly discussable, and frankly unputdownable. I blazed through it in an evening; it's been a while since I cancelled my plans for a book, but I was so absorbed I couldn't not.

Why'd I love it? The writing was strong - no complaints - but the storytelling was spectacular. I needed to know, at first, what had happened and would happen to Ajay, the 12-year-old son, but soon I felt the same investment and care for every member of the Shah family. This author is brilliant at capturing what it means to be human, and to try your best, and how you deal with things you can't control. Normally I struggle with multiple protagonists/POVs, but she brought each one to life vibrantly and unmistakably. (I will say I didn't 100% love the ending - but the overall reading experience was a solid five stars regardless. )

This novel raises discomfiting and powerful questions about race and class and policing. I'm really eager to hear how other folks receive and react to it.

Thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

"A Great Country" by Shilpi Somaya Gowda is a novel that explores the ties and fractures of a close-knit Indian-American family in the aftermath of a violent encounter with the police. Set in Pacific Hills, California, the Shah family's move to a gated community represents the culmination of years of hard work and dreaming for the parents, who arrived in America two decades earlier with little more than an education and their new marriage.

The story revolves around the Shah family members, who, despite their differences, experience a major upheaval when their twelve-year-old son is arrested one Saturday night. The aftermath of this event forces each family member to reevaluate their perception of themselves as individuals, community members, and Americans. The novel prompts reflection on questions such as how to define success, the cost of ambition, and the role and responsibility each person holds in the cultural mosaic of modern America.

With themes of immigration, generational conflict, social class, and privilege, "A Great Country" is recommended for readers who enjoyed works like "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng, "The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett, and "Such a Fun Age" by Kiley Reid. The novel aims to reconsider the myth of the model minority and question the price of the American dream.

As always this author does not disappoint. I loved this book! She has crafted a story from headlines which shift a “that could never happen to me” to how it can without lecturing. She also shows the areas her characters need to grow without turning them into villainous cartoons. There is a “Pacific Hills” in every region which is often a mirage that reveals the grass is not greener. I now want to reread Shilpi’s other titles as when you come to the end, you still want to keep reading.

Beautiful cover.
Richly drawn characters.
Timely, poignant themes & storylines.
Mostly enjoyed the story and writing, tho at times both felt inconsistent.

With thanks to NetGalley & Mariner Books for this e-ARC.

"While twelve-year-old Ajay sat trembling in a jail cell, his parents were enjoying themselves at a dinner party."

If any book will spark you through a reading slump, "A Great Country" is it. Shilpi Somaya Gowda has written a novel that propels readers from one page to the next as tension builds over the Shah family and an event that has shaken their careful life built in Orange County, California.

The first part of the novel is constructed for maximum tension, building stories and backstories with great skill. Orange County has had the reputation for being white and conservative for decades, but things have changed. It is now as multicultural a place as you'll find. The Shah family, their friends, and community are beautifully drawn, as is their growing empathy for the many cultures around them. Gowda lets her taut line go slack in the last quarter of the novel, which is a disappointment. But until then, "A Great Country" is quite a ride.

Many thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

A GREAT COUNTRY is a well-written and compelling story that somehow manages to combine an enjoyable reading experience with an important societal message.

The family and community dynamics are very realistically portrayed, and I admire how the author tackles the theme of how minorities are treated. At times the story is hard to read for this reason; it made me sad to consider what certain members of our community endure.

The California setting plays into the theme of the American dream.

I like the length; so many novels these days feel bloated, whereas this one was kept to a good (short) length, which helps so much with pacing and keeping the reader's attention. Three cheers for short novels!

Thanks to NetGalley for the complimentary e-galley; all opinions are my own.

I finished this book in two days. As a second-generation American, I identified with some of the themes in the book, especially model-minority status and allyship. The family dynamics also rang true for me. I thought the main characters were well-drawn and realistic. But I thought some of side characters could have been fleshed out more (Vikram, the Bakers). I think even having the book set in California added to the sense of the families having "made it" in America. Overall, I thought this was a great novel.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title.

The Shah family has just moved into the coveted Pacific Hills neighborhood. When Ashok and Priya immigrated to the US, they could only dream of one day living in this gated community with their children. They have worked hard to get to this point. Their oldest daughter, Deepa, isn't happy with the move and has constant arguments with her parents who she considers close minded. Maya, the middle daughter, is desperate to fit in to this new school and has even become close friends with the daughter of a wealthy family. When the youngest child, 12 year old Ajay, is arrested, the Shah's have to face some hard truths about themselves and their community.
I didnt just read this book, I FELT this book. The struggles of new immigrants, and raising children in this foreign country. Wanting to blend in yet hold on to your roots. I saw my parents while reading about the characters. As an adult, I have such a new appreciation for my parents and what they went through. As a child of immigrants, I also relate to the experiences of the children. This book brought about so many emotions within me.
This book takes the fear that every brown skinned immigrant tries so hard to hide, and shines a bright light on it. It is exhausting trying to assimilate, not bring unwanted attention to yourself, and still live a normal life, but nothing about a life like that is normal.
This was a pretty quick read, I almost wished it was longer because there seemed to be so much more to delve into, especially the other families in the book, particularly the Bakers and the Sharmas, as well as the police officers. I've enjoyed the author's other books as well and look forward to more from her.
Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for providing the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I greatly enjoyed this book about a family’s immigrant experience, and learned some things I did not know. The story flowed well, and the characters were interesting. I felt the story was powerful and could have been even more so, I am a fan of this author, with my favorite of hers being The Golden Son.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.