This book is amazing. The book follows the lives of an Indian family, specifically the daughters of a Bengali couple. Starry and Sunni are in high school, and have just moved to the US from London, following their father who has landed a job in New York. The book follows the girls throughout the 1960s and 70s, then in 1996 picks up the story of their daughters.

You Bring the Distant Near gripped me from the beginning. I don’t know a lot about Indian culture and I feel like this was a great glimpse into beautiful, even if somewhat controversial, culture. The story is easy to follow because of how it is presented and even the passage of time moves seamlessly. So much happens throughout the book, from life events, to real world events that make the story seem even more real. It would be easy to get lost and confused but Perkins makes it seem easy. The writing style is enjoyable and helps the story move forward as well.

The characters, even the mother and father, come to life. They’re written so that they seem like a real family, even with their issues, and arguments. When Starry and Sunni are children, the family dynamic feels real, even if they have issues, love binds them together.

The only thing I would have changed about this book is the ending. I wish we would have learned more about how things ended for every one instead of the book shifting to Didu’s perspective for the last chapter. Overall, I’d recommend this book to any one who enjoys contemporary fiction and learning about other cultures.