Over spring break, I read 4 books, and the one that stuck out most to me with The Taste of Ginger by Masi Shah. It is probably one of the best books I’ve read in a really long time. I think it was page 8 when I started bawling.
A quick synopsis: Preeti and her family moved to the USA from India when Preeti was 7. She and her brother learned to assimilate, but the assimilation took root more deeply in Preeti’s heart. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Preeti must leave for India unexpectedly to help out family, and she rediscovers her own culture, and in turn herself.
This is the most basic of blurbs, but the twists and turns are just too good to accidentally spoil.
There are many things that I love about this book such as the readability. I am not great with overly poetic or formal books. I do best with a conversational style of writing, and this definitely ticks that box. I just found out that I apparently have another book by this author already on my Kindle. I can’t wait to dig in!
One of the themes in this book is the concept of belonging and how Preeti does not feel that she belongs anywhere: in the US or in India, at work or with her family. On page 89, Pretty reflects, “Belonging was something you were born into. It wasn’t something that could be earned.” This struck a strong chord with me.
Belonging is something that
(who recommended this book to me) and I have talked about a lot. As we’ve had conversations about neurodivergence, race, and community, this idea of belonging has come up a lot.I grew up in the Catholic school system, and while it did not matter to my mom if she participated or belonged, it did matter to me… we never belonged. I never belonged. Belonging is not a sensation that I have felt often, and community is a word that I’ve had to completely take out of the context of White Christianity and relearn to where community means inclusion rather than exclusion.
Reading about Preeti’s inner conflict with belonging, being an outsider, and balancing/processing those feelings hit deeply for me, even if I couldn’t relate to the exact contexts.
I love books that are windows, that show us a different way of living, thinking, experiencing the world from our typical point of view. They are some of my favorite reads. The Taste of Ginger is definitely a window, but for me there were also many mirrors. I mentioned the mirror of belonging, but another one came and caught me by surprise: sisterhood.
I have a sister though we don’t speak often. She left when I was 8, and now that I know all of the nuances, that’s ok. I spent so many years pining after my sister. I no longer need that or her. If we see each other, great. If we don’t, it’s also ok. No hard feelings.
Where sisterhood appears for me now is in an unexpected (to me) light: in-laws. While my partner and I are not married, we are about to celebrate out 10 year anniversary. This is also where Preeti finds the new sister bond. While the situations aren’t exactly the same, as Preeti doesn’t immediately adore her SIL like I do mine, they come together and bond and forgive and agree to move on.
S and I bonded immediately. It was the relationship with her brother, my partner that needed mending. This December, after 9 years of facilitating conversations and such, they came together much like Preeti and Dipti do in the book. They decided to leave the past in the past and move forward, to be in each other’s lives, and to work on loving one another. I cried for days at the growth and joy, and I grieved the experience I would never get with my sister.
Reading this part in the book, had me switching apps and immediately messaging Sassy to cry about it. They understood because they’d listened to me process for days, and they helped me get through that emotional weekend. Sisterhood is also mentioned in the book in other moments through friendship rather than familial (blood or legally bound) relationships. So if that’s more your style of sisterhood, there is something here for you too!
There is even more to say about The Taste of Ginger. The plot twists are wild. There is LGBTQ+ representation (and brutality due to cultural expectations), a few White men to hate, and classicism to consider in both cultures. Truly the book is phenomenal. Check it out!
What books are you reading right now? Are you in your nonfiction or fiction cycle, your prose or verse era? Are you reading with your eyes or your ears?
Wishing you well this week! May your life offer what you need in this moment.
With love,
Aventurine ✨
This book is on my wish list so I’ll hopefully listen to it next month, I’ll come back and share my thoughts 😊 At the moment I am reading A Court of Frost and Starlight and listening to Hagitude by Sharon Blackie which is great so far, it’s basically all about coming into your power as you get older and it uses folklore and archetypes to explore what that means. It’s perfect for me as I am just starting to go through the menopause and on to another stage in my life.
This book sounds like one I would also enjoy. I just started reading a fiction book, well listening to, it's The Witch of Wild Things. So far it's good and I think you would like it.