This third week of YA Fest brings us The Letters We Keep by Nisha Sharma. A freshman and a third-year at a New Jersey university stumble upon a stack of old letters that may be a missing clue to a decades-old mystery that has long been believed to have ended in tragedy. Jessie and Ravi decide to follow the trail, while wondering if their own story will have a similar ending.
The Situation: Eighteen year-old Jessie Ahuja is nervous about her first semester of college, but she is also incredibly prepared. The goal is simple: study hard, work hard, and become an engineer so that she can take care of her parents, who have done their best to provide for her and hold onto their own version of the American dream. It has not been as easy for her family as it has been for Ravi Kumar's, who is a legend on Hartceller University's campus, mostly because of his father's company and his family's connections. Sure, Ravi has zero interest in a life in the tech industry, but the job, and fortune, and secure future are practically waiting for him on a silver platter. These two have little in common aside from being in the same Creative Nonfiction class, and coveting the same study room in the library, but it may be enough.
The Problem: Jessie only wants to work, study, and never lose sight of the overall goal, which she feels she must keep a tight grip on if she wants to keep her scholarship. But after meeting her at a party right before classes began, Ravi is drawn to Jessie and will not leave her alone. When Jessie finds herself in a part of the library that is supposed to be blocked off for renovations, she discovers a hollowed-out book full of old letters, which may contain the answers to the mystery of a fire that happened in the building back in the 70s, and the two people that were rumored to have perished in it. She also may have landed on a topic for her final Creative Nonfiction project. But if she is honest with herself, Jessie has to admit she is searching the old letters for answers as to whether she and Ravi could ever really be together, or are they as doomed as the mystery couple.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel set on a college campus in New Jersey, the fictional Hartceller University (the name of which references the Hart-Celler Immigration Act of 1965). It is freshman year for Jessie, while Ravi is returning for his junior year as a marketing major. For Jessie, college is a step on the path to financial security for her and her family by way of becoming an engineer. For Ravi, it is almost a formality as he is guaranteed to follow in his parent's and brother's footsteps in the tech industry, except that is the last thing he actually wants. The book explores generational trauma, as well as expectations, tradition, and the difference in struggles for various generations of immigrants, and children from immigrant families.
My Verdict: Lovers of romance will get caught up in the push and pull of Jessie and Ravi's relationship. I would not necessarily put this book in the 'enemies-to-lovers' group, but there is certainly a level of animosity in the very beginning, though mostly on Jessie's part. There is more of a star-crossed lovers angle to it, which we of course have seen before, but the addition of the mystery and the old letters gives readers another layer to the story, while also still being primarily invested in what is happening with Jessie and Ravi. There may be a few plot twists and leaps that I found hard to reconcile, but they did not take away from the overall story of two people deciding who they want to be, despite what is expected of them.
Favorite Moment: Jessie reserves a study room in the library, which is apparently a mistake as Ravi comes along to claim that it as 'his.' This is only my favorite moment because I have met students like Ravi, both as a student and now as a staff member, and the interaction was incredibly true to form, in all of its ridiculousness.
Favorite Character: Jessie is stubborn, but focused. Both of those traits serve her well, but she also has to learn when to yield, if only a little, and also to give people a chance.
Recommended Reading: I recommend Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat.
No comments:
Post a Comment