American Betiya | An Emotional Debut about Identity and Family

5/5 stars

Rani Kolkata has always been the perfect, honest, and obedient daughter. Until she meets Oliver… He is not someone she would ever take home to her traditional parents. When she goes back home to India for the summer, she begins to question her first love and claim her identity. 

This was a read that was way more emotional than I anticipated. As expected, Oliver kind of sucked and perfectly embodied white privilege and fetishization of “exotic” people. At times, I had to put the book down and take a breath because the micro-aggressions were infuriating. I could get frustrated at Rani for putting up with Oliver, but what can you expect from a teenager’s first real relationship? 

Based on the book jacket summary, I expected Rani to spend much more time in India. I really enjoyed reading about her time there and her conversations with her older cousin. The majority of the book took place in Illinois. Not an issue, but it did make the pacing feel a bit off. There was a lot of relationship development and a slow progression for Rani to stand up for herself. 

American Betiya was a quick read. Not exactly light because it did bring up old memories and emotions for me and it addresses identity, culture, and family head-on. Overall, this was a powerful debut that many people of color and immigrants will be able to relate to.