*This Beautiful, Ridiculous City* is Kay Sohini’s love letter to New York, the city that saved her. Through meandering walks and everyday rituals—riding the Roosevelt Island tram to Trader Joe’s, spotting Bengali translations on F-train notices, browsing the endless shelves at Strand—she uncovers the city’s quirks and comforts. Her mixed-media illustrations, layering maps, Polaroids, and textbook diagrams, capture the rhythm of city life with a comic-style energy. While her dense, text-heavy sections on India and NYC housing struggles slow the flow, her vibrant "postcards" of Jackson Heights, Midtown’s sky bridge, and autumn in Central Park pull you right back in. This book belongs in the classroom, inspiring students to sketch, map, and tell the stories of places that make them feel at home—or make them dream of somewhere new.

Thank you NetGalley and Clarkson/Ten Speed Press for this ARC.

Wow, there was a lot packed into this graphic novel; belonging, loving two cities around the world from each other (Calcutta and New York), relationship abuse, misogyny, generational expectations, author influences, food, you name it. It would have been very easy for all of this to exist in one book and be a hot jumbled mess, but she's clear in linking one subject to the next. It just works. Loved it.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting, I had several familial health challenges to contend with in the past months.

This graphic memoir is a love letter to New York City, with lots of heartbreak, yearning and questioning included. I loved the illustrations, and the way the author explored central themes of identity and belonging - and what happens when you have gaps in memory. She looks back at her life in India, with lots of fascinating socio-economic and political information woven in - and then looks at where she has landed and found a home. I also enjoyed the way the author incorporated the love of food that symbolizes family and her love for them. If you do not have a secret fascination with New York City, as I do, you may find parts of this uninteresting though.

This was an introspective mediation on family and place. After leaving an abusive relationship, Kay gets a scholarship to study in New York. Through literature about New York City and her lived experience, she also reflects on the modern Indian diaspora. The only downside is that the art is static, but the intense color adds depth to the emotion and narrative.

This was well-written and quite interesting. It had an interesting picture of the city of New York, which is such an iconic landmark in so many books, movies, and shows. I found it to be a unique perspective on what it might be like to move there. It was also an interesting study of human nature. Absolutely a worthwhile read.

Read in October, but as requested by the publisher, review posted the week of release.

3.5
This is a beautiful graphic novel. It is a memoir that takes us from India to New York. It's written and illustrated with so much love. You can tell the fondness by the author when she talks about her childhood, the movies, the food, her family. It's a vibrant narrative, one that goes to dark places too.

Since Kay Sohini was a child, she dreamt of New York. She fell in love with the city through stories, books and movies. She felt the calling to move countries and continents and as an adult, Kay loves her life in the Big Apple. Through struggles and breakdowns, the feeling for this city is what keeps her moving. So, what starts as a charming recollection, and her life in India (there's a lot of info about socioeconomics, politics, and culture), this graphic novel becomes a love letter to New York.
And though, like I said, it's beautifully illustrated, lost me a little as someone who doesn't feel that romantic notion of either New York nor America in general. Which is a shame, cause I feel like I couldn't enjoy this memoir. I feel like I was not the target audience, the idealised notion of this city I could not care less about is the central theme of this memoir. So maybe, if you feel like Kay, if you ever felt the same calling, if you ever lived there, you can fall in love all over again with New York through this pages. As for me? Reading lists of the very specific places she cares about, it was boring. It was underwhelming, not even the art style could save it.

I liked the beginning a lot. I liked learning about India, I loved the art. The love for the food that translates to the love for her family. The beauty of the city landscapes. However, I struggled with the writing, the disjointed nature of the memoir, and the pacing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for this eARC to review.

I love a good memoir, especially in graphic novel form, and this immigrant story really touched my heart. @Kaysohini shares her experience of moving from India to New York City, reflecting on her memories of home while adapting to her new life. I appreciated the touch of history, from the impact of Western civilization and rapid industrialization in India to the mention of Bollywood, which added richness to the narrative. Certain scenes even made me hungry, especially those featuring traditional Bengali dishes like koraishutir kochuri.

The memoir touches on deep themes, including grief, cultural differences, and domestic violence, offering insight into both Indian culture and the immigrant experience. Rather than a linear story, it felt more like a stream of consciousness—recollections of significant moments in her life. But I think that was intentional, capturing how she gradually came to embrace New York City.

The illustrations were a highlight for me, with stunning full-page spreads bursting with color and panels artfully placed throughout. I loved the integration of real photographs, which made the story feel even more personal and real.

Thank you @netgalley and @tenspeedpress for this ARC.

In this memoir, Kay Sohini shares her immigration story in what can best be described as a love letter to New York City. Not only does she discuss moving to a new country and her dream city, but also the turbulent years of her early 20s.

Early on, we see the contrast between a rapidly changing India and America, driven by the author's desire to escape to the place she's read countless times in books. The book then shifts to the story of an abusive relationship and overcoming all of the trials that came from it. Interlaced is a love of food and, of course, New York City.

The illustrations in this book are easily the most colorful and unique I have ever seen in a graphic novel. I want some of the skyline photos as posters! The book was also quite informative, giving some background on Indian history in the 90s/00s era as well as traditions and lineage. My only nitpick is that the narrative jumped around topics without much of a transition which I found jarred me out of the more serious moments too abruptly.

Overall, an absolutely stunning presentation and such an inspiring story.

Thanks to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free digital ARC of the book.

The art in this book was beautiful, I just felt like there was no story. It was barely even a brief essay: Her grandfather used to cook a lot. She had an abusive relationship. She left India for NYC, where she learned to cook and lived in several different apartments.

This Beautiful, Ridiculous City is a gorgeously illustrated graphic memoir. The illustrations are stunning - bright and vibrant. Photographs and quotes from literature sometimes supplement the main illustrations. In the book, the author explores her move from India to New York City; the factors that led to her deciding to move as well as her process of building a life there. The book opens with Sohini sitting in a plane of the runway at JFK airport waiting for it to be given gate clearance and trying to make an inventory of all the things she'd left behind. It then goes back to explore her life in India and the factors that contributed to her decision to move to New York. We learn about her love of literature, the political and cultural background of India in the post colonial years, particularly during her childhood, and the impact of globalisation and the pervasiveness of Western culture. We also see how the sudden death of her beloved grandfather fractured her family and witness the impact of a toxic relationship, one which featured a lot of gaslighting and emotional abuse, infidelity as well as some physical violence. Finally, we see how she was able to recover and build life in NYC, how the city's sense of promise fuelled and nurtured her. The book is, in many ways, a love letter to New York City. Sohini is happily in its thrall despite recognising many of its problems, most notably gentrification. Sohini draws and writes about food incredibly well. Be forewarned parts of this book will have you drooling. Overall, I found this an interesting addition to the field of migration literature. It's focus on a single person rather than a family, the author's particular reasons for migrating, as well as her focus largely on the gains and not the losses, make this book stand out from the pack. So, too, does its eclectic combination of abstract, academic-like non-fiction elements with the personal, introspective beats of a memoir. This is a quick one-sitting read, made especially enjoyable by the lush, vivid illustrations. However, don't mistake quick and illustrated as synonymous with lack of substance. This slim little volume packs a lot in and much of it is emotionally hard-hitting and/or thought-provoking.

The title of this book won me over along with its vibrant cover, and I read it in one sitting. The graphics are lively and engaging, and Sohini's illustrations and food descriptions are mouthwatering, I loved the page describing her grandmother making a ritual out of peeling clementines, "because in Bengali, we do not say, 'I love you.'" She brings New York City to life as a place for self-realization and healing, and I loved that she began with a quote by James Baldwin: "You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive." Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC. Pub Date: Jan 28, 2025.

#ThisBeautifulRidiculousCity

Kay Sohini shares her life experiences growing up in Calcutta and moving to New York City in this excellent graphic memoir. She has used her fabulous skills drawing what she saw, sharing photographs and weaving quotes amidst her own eloquent words. Memoirs are one of my favorite genres and Kay Sohini demonstrates why the graphic memoir style is perfect for sharing life experiences.

I liked this graphic memoir, geared towards adults......great artwork, lots of literary references, informative about life in India & some history of the country too. I ended up liking the 1st 40% of the book better than the last part.....finding the latter part to be awfully 'information dense', lots of text in the little/big worded bubbles..... it contained appropriate info, but just no longer felt like the earlier part of the book. It is certainly an ode to NYC!
I received an early digital copy of the book for review, from publisher Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press/Ten Speed Graphic via NetGalley. This is my own fair/honest review.

I don't know how I went into this not realizing it was a memoir, but it definitely is. I was less enthralled with this one, but I think that had to do with it being a memoir when I thought it was going to be some form of contemporary fiction?

Thank you NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 3 ⭐️ Absolutely gorgeous art and beautiful references to New York City. At times it felt like a love letter to New York which was so powerful and enjoyable. However, I often got the impression that as a collective whole this book felt choppy and disjointed. It jumped around too much for me and lacked a cohesive element tying it together.

I enjoyed this book. This is a really beautiful memoir on finding your place in the world and discovering news things. The illustrations were stunning and with vivid colors.

For being both the author AND graphic illustrator for her own memoir, I give many flowers to Sohini! This stunning piece of art is a tribute to her resilience and the places and people and things that made her who she is today. I learned things about Indian history and culture, was dazzled by the glorious cuisine, and maybe (just maybe) was persuaded to visit New York City one day! I also loved the literary and pop culture references and the author's depictions of New York and her apartment!

I think I fell in love. Not with New York since I'm much of a countryside person myself. But with the storytelling, the art style, the colors, the author, the design of each page. It's a memoir that wraps you up in a blanket, serves you hot chai and makes you cry and reflect on your life. Like what am I even doing with it, you know? It also touches up on some very serious topics of domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts (and attempts), family problems, communication issues, losing sense of self. And despite all of that, it's not hard to digest. The novel forces you to think, to dissect the story, the situations the author had to deal with. I'd say it's an amazing piece of media for someone who wants to challenge their world view, someone who wants to learn more, who wants to truly reflect on what it means to be human, to feel lost, to go through many hardships life (and people) throws your way.

Following the author through her infatuation with New York and literature, we get to experience someone new to a city and how overwhelming it can be. I liked the art style and thought the portrayal of a lot of the information and history was interesting. Overall, a good read.

This graphic novel is a mix of social commentary and autobiography. It opens with important contextual information about the culture and social climate in India during the author’s childhood and adolescence. The rest of the books describes how she built a life and a home for herself in New York, finding solace and comfort in a city that was once inhabited by her favorite authors.

I enjoyed the artwork and the insight into Kay Sohini’s story and values, and it was interesting to see how she went from feeling lost to finding freedom and a sense of belonging in the city. This book celebrates the many cultures and experiences that exist in NYC, despite the city’s imperfections. It made me want to revisit New York and soak in the sights and sounds of the city once again.