Shortlisted for the 2025 Booker, this book has received a lot of praise as well as a lot of flak. There are two main criticisms of it.
It’s too long. (650 odd pages in my edtion)
It mocks Indians and their lifestyles. And this coming from an Indian American is especially vicious.
Now, I do believe point no. 1 has some weight. The novel sags somewhat in the late middle, and could definitely do with some pruning.
Point no. 2 is not true at all. The novel gives a realistic portrait of the deracinated Indian who feels neither at home in India or in the US ( where a large proportion of the educated Indian immigrants have made their home). If the book appears to criticize Indians, it is equally critical of North America.
In my opinion, TLOSAS is a brilliant book that addresses the modern malaise of disconnect, and it does it beautifully, artistically and truthfully.
At its heart, this book is a love story about two young people, Sonia and Sunny, who know in their hearts they should be together but are separated by their own stubbornness and misunderstandings as well as by societal and family pressures. It’s a book that will stay with you as it speaks to your heart about basic human needs, of love and loneliness and the immigrant experience. What I especially love about this book are the different motifs used in it to tie it together- the kababs, the ocean, a ghost dog, and especially the mystical talisman of Badal Baba that plays such a prominent part in this novel. This touch of magical realism gives the story a new depth.
I am tired of reading clever, stylistic books that try to be different. The appeal of this book is that it is a good, old fashioned read, a Bildungsroman, a story in which you can get immersed, with an ending that is realistic, satisfying and complete.
Chat symbol above vintage old book on blackboard background
So, your book is published. Your friends and family have dutifully bought it, read it and praised it.
Now, you ask them to write a review. A review? You can see the look of bafflement or confusion or just sheer annoyance on their faces. Wasn’t it enough that they bought your book and even read it? ( Dear writer, just be aware that many of your friends will buy your book to please you, but never get down to reading it)
No, dear reader, it is not.
Writers ask for reviews for one simple reason. Reviews sell books. It makes them better known. And the more the reviews, the better the sales. Reviews are in fact the life-blood of any writer.
A BOOK WITH 500 OR 5000 5-STAR REVIEWS, AND NO BAD REVIEWS IN SIGHT, ESPECIALLY BY A NEW OR UNKNOWN AUTHOR, MAY BE A SCAM; Ever picked up a book with five hundred five-star reviews, not even a four star review in sight leave alone three or two? And you find it meh? Well, dear reader, you’ve been scammed. This writer has probably bought reviews. Yes, you can do that. Pay x amount of money to get 50 or 100 or 500 5 star reviews. That’s the promise. It’s a temptation for every writer because it plays with the algorithm. Now, I am not mathematically or statistically inclined, but it seems these Amazon algorithms are an indication of the book’s popularity. But ask yourself, do readers even look at the statistics? And there’s another thing – being no. 1 on Amazon in a niche category like Predicting the Future through your Nostrils doesn’t mean a thing, except for giving the writer bragging rights. DISCLAIMER: This is not to say every debut with excellent reviews is necessarily a scam, but you do see the odd one here and there.
DON’T BUY REVIEWS: Now, I always wonder at the kind of writer who buys reviews. Don’t they have any confidence in their ability? Surely a few negative reviews shouldn’t make a big difference. And surely a reader is entitled to his or her opinion. Some may like it, some may not. Deal with it. But to actually buy reviews to boost yourself and your sales? Such things are short lived. Sooner or later you’ll be caught. And the repercussions are many — especially for future books.
WRITERS, CHOOSE NFLUENCERS AND BOOK BLOGGERS CAREFULLY:Coming to another point: Dear writer, you’ve sweated so much over your book, and all you friends and family have written their reviews. What’s next? Catch hold of influencers and book bloggers. Be careful who you select. they should be people who read in your genre or people who enjoy reading. And who write honest reviews. You don’t have to pay them. All you have to do is send your book along. And once that review is out, probably as a blog post or insta post, just hope that some of their followers buy your book. It doesn’t always work, but this is the next best thing you can do.
MANY ARE NERVOUS ABOUT WRITING REVIEWS, OR DON’T KNOW HOW TO:Talking again of reviews, perhaps many of your friends and family don’t have a clue about how to write a review .in that case, guide them. Tell them to write down what they liked about the book and what they didn’t like. Ask them to give you stars- if it’s very good, four or five stars. Explain that three Stars is average or below average. And surely your book does not merit just one or two stars, so don’t go there.
JUST KEEP AT IT! Now, every writer may get disillusioned by the entire review business. People may be reading your book but are too lazy or busy to write a review. Well, it’s something you have to live with. Only very famous writers get reviews in their thousands. And until you reach that exalted position, be humble, be realistic. But do everything in your power to promote your book, make it known without irritating people. And just hope those reviews keep coming!
Something that I’d missed as a debut author was my book launch. My debut was published in 2020, at the start of Covid, so public gatherings were out of the question.
This time, though, it was different. My middle-grade fantasy, Zara and the Bumbling Genie, published by Om Books International, was released in March 2025. It was time to celebrate. I was going to go all out – have a launch as well as book signings.
What happens in a launch? Well, you invite family and friends as well as those in the publishing world who have helped you with your book.And you tell them about your book. Let me warn you, they are expensive affairs, but do help to create a buzz around your book. My launch was held in the beautiful Vasant Vihar Club in New Delhi, and my agent, Suhail Mathur, was nice enough to arrange everything for me, from the panelists to the snacks served to the gifts and even to the invitation itself.
Launch in New Delh
IMO, you hold a launch not just to celebrate your achievement and talk about your book and your writing process, but also meet the people who matter to you the most, your family and friends. And to also thank those who are behind your book’s success. Of course, if you sell some of your books, that’s an added bonus. But it’s not essentially a ‘marketplace’ for your book. But it does help in creating some buzz around it, and if you’re lucky, some media attention. I was lucky, as one of the gentlemen who attended the launch asked me if I could be featured in his newsletter that has a subscription of 4000 people. To this I readily agreed. I mean, who doesn’t want media attention?
Book signing at Om Bookstore, New delhi
Book signings are a different cup of tea altogether. The publisher takes the responsibility of arranging your signings. I managed to do book signings in three cities, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. ( Hold on, Dubai. Your turn will come soon.)
The best part of a book signing is the interesting people you meet, many of them your potential readers. When a visitor to a bookstore sees an author, they naturally gravitate towards him or her. You have to be prepared to answer all kinds of questions, especially from kids ( I was stumped with this one- what was the inspiration behind your book? Honestly, the answer was so complicated). I was a little nervous too whether I had to convince people to buy my book. as I was wondering what this entailed. I’m a writer, not a marketeer, ( and I use this term with the utmost respect: hats off to those in sales who do a very difficult job of convincing people to buy a product).
However, I didn’t have to convince anyone to buy my book. Those who bought it were genuinely interested in reading it themselves or giving it to their kids. And I must say I thoroughly enjoyed talking to my readers, learning a bit about them, and of course, telling them a bit about myself. And let me add why I think book signings are such a hit. Most people WANT to meet authors. Especially kids. So it’s a win-win situation for both.
My advice to writers: a launch is not strictly necessary, but book signings are fun to do and don’t cost you an arm and a leg. So, if you’ve recently released a book, my advice is to arrange as many book signings as possible. Not with the agenda of selling, but more to meet people. And of course, it definitely helps in creating interest in your book.
Padmini Sankar Author 