Border Less

by Namrata Poddar

Dia Mittal is an airline call centre agent in Mumbai searching for an easier life. As her search takes her to the United States, Dia’s checkered relationship with the American Dream dialogues with the experiences and perspectives of a global South Asian community across the class spectrum--call center agents, travel agents, immigrant maids, fashion designers, blue- and white-collar workers in the hospitality industry, junior and senior artists in Bollywood, hustling single mothers, academics, tourists in the Third World, refugees displaced by military superpowers, Marwari merchants and trade caravans of the Silk Road, among others. What connects the novel’s web of brown border-crossing characters is their quest for belonging and negotiation of power struggles, mediated by race, class, gender, nationality, age, or place. With its fragmented form, staccato rhythm, repetition, and play with English language, Border Less questions the “mainstream” Western novel and its assumptions of good storytelling.

Genres: Fiction, India, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2022

About the author

Namrata Poddar writes fiction and nonfiction, serves as Interviews Editor for Kweli where she curates the series on Race, Power and Storytelling, and teaches literature as well as creative writing at UCLA. Her work has appeared in several publications including Poets & Writers, Literary Hub, Longreads, The Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Catapult, Transition, The Millions, The Margins, The Caravan, and The Best Asian Short Stories. Her debut novel, BORDER LESS, is releasing in North America from 7.13 Books on March 1, 2022, and later this year from Harper Collins in South Asia. She was a recent contributor to The Los Angeles Times where she focused on the art and sociocultural diversity of Orange County. She holds a PhD in French literature from the University of Pennsylvania, an MFA in Fiction from Bennington College, and a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Transnational Cultures from UCLA. She is a first-generation Indian American who was raised in Mumbai and has lived in different parts of the world before making Greater Los Angeles her home.

You can learn more about her by visiting namratapoddar.com; or following her on Twitter, @poddar_namrata, and on Instagram, @writerpoddar.

Reviews

[Dalia (book_o_creativity) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Dia works in an airline call center. Like many other she craves to live an American dream. Her longing has brought her out from the dreaded job and a bright future in America, but it is her search for true meaning of life and fulfilment that sometimes lurks in her mind as a form of art or dance. With American dream dialogues and perspective of global South Asian community across varied class of people including call center agents, travel agents, sales agents, immigrant maids, fashion designers, hotel staffs and many more this book brought forth the crux of immigrant life with powerful feminine energy that makes you pause and throw a question at our disruptive societal norms.

'Border Less' is a novel, even though it's a work of fiction, with fragmented, abstract narrative it blends society, Asian culture, American dreams and immigrant lifestyle seamlessly with a twist of feminism sprinkled throughout the book. There is no definite plot yet somehow they are connected, by the same thread called society. This book very cleverly hints at many different sensitive topics like race, gender, culture yet leaves the reader with his own assumptions to draw conclusion of his own. Apart from Dia there are many interesting characters. One such character is Joohi, an elder cousin of Dia. Her designer silk scarf yet chipped nails episode is both amusing and concerning. I have seen characters like her in real life. Each and every character in this book is real and relatable. I can relate with Dia, especially when her cousin Rani alleged her being the calculative type. It felt like I was in her head, living her life.

Characters are bang on. All female voices depicting different perspectives is what arrested my attention the most, but I have mixed feelings about the writing style, the chapters and their timelines are very much scattered, they do converge time to time but the chapters jump from one timeline to a completely different one, which is confusing. In the first chapter I got a glimpse of Dia and her boyfriend, her boyfriend leaving her to go Boston, then it was about Joohi, then came a random narrative of a group of ladies in ladies special cutting veggies, then coming back to Dia again leaving for Chicago with the same boyfriend who left her earlier. The gap of years irritated me. But I enjoyed the character sketches.

[Swetha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poddar’s debut novel attempts to deconstruct borders. This collection of multigenerational stories explores culture, caste and gender. The first section ‘Roots’ focuses on the characters’ experiences in motherland (India) while the second section ‘Routes’ continues the characters’ path as an immigrant in America while they reflect on ties back home. Given the intertwined nature of the collection, I always on my toes trying to form connections between Dia and the other characters. However, the periodic shift between third person narrative and first person narrative was mildly disruptive when trying to connect with a particular vignette in the context of the larger narrative. A few shorts highlighted typical Indian stereotypes of a call center worker, prejudice with the caste system, gender roles in marriage and relationship with in-laws. Some of the shorts around cast gender roles in marriage felt drawn out. I found ‘So Long Cousin’, ‘Victorious’ and ‘Homecoming’ to be most fresh leaving me wanting a taste for full novella. My values, like those of these characters, have become ‘border less’ clinging onto the best of the East and West while finding new ways to understand the melting pot of cultures around me. If we cannot break physical borders, why not break the self-isolating fictional borders and pave the way for more crossings? I would recommend this collection to anyone who is interested in an experimental literature format focused on migration.

[Nidhi Shrivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I feature a South Asian/South East Asian author every month, this month I want to highlight Namrata Poddar (@writerpoddar)’s upcoming novel, Borderless. I also wanted to thank Namrata and @7.13books for the gifted copy of Borderless!

Publishing date: March 1, 2022

Review: This novel speaks to transnational, post colonial feminist thinking in that Dia struggles to figure out where she belongs - she doesn’t wholly fit within India, nor does she fully assimilate into the US. She feels connected to her cousins in India, yet disagrees with her spouse, Neel’s views on India. But, while this emotional, psychological, and social struggle to belong is at the heart of the novel, it is so much more. The novel’s structure is appropriate divided into two sections: routes and roots, and indeed these boundaries/borders blur as they represent Dia. In so many ways, I could relate to Dia because my own roots through my mom are connected to Rajasthan. This intergenerational novel also address the complexities of the Indian diaspora, especially as Dia struggles to fit into Neel’s multifaceted family where on one hand, her elder family-in-laws clutch on to their family’s cultural capital (their values and customs), yet her and her children move away from them.

The novel then not only traverses between India and America, but also highlights inter-faith relationships, caste politics, and questions the American dream. The desire to stay or go remains the main conflict of the novel, which many of us experience daily.

Poddar’s novel is a pivotal debut of new writers honing in on the South Asian diaspora, but what makes her novel unique and a must-read is because she explores the gray areas of migration and identities that are a by-product of it - where one always belongs to the liminal space, always and forever in search for a home - for a place to belong.

[Jainand Gurjar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borderless is the debut book by Namrata Poddar. Divided into two parts, “Roots” and “Routes”, this book explores the genre of contemporary fiction in around 182 pages and represents the story of Dia Mittal. Dia works for Hasna Airlines as an airline call agent and lives in Mumbai. And for the betterment of her lifestyle and her aim, life takes her to California, and there comes her experience as an immigrant into the picture. But this book is not only about Dia, it represents the characters and themes around her in detail as well, the immigrant maids, the brotherhood of second-generation sons in America, the sisterhood of sisters, who aren’t related to each other by blood but by “a shared culture shock of marrying into a desi American community”, single mothers, Afro-Asian refugees, Marwari merchants, the essence and meaning of friendship and family, sexism, parenthood, and what not!

When I started reading this book and read the first three chapters, all different from each other, with all new characters, new places, new themes and I felt like I’m reading a short story collection, the stories with open endings, and I liked it! I have had the recheck whether it’s a novel or a novel in stories. But then as I read more and progressed with the protagonists, I saw their ways getting interconnected, I can see the threads which were separated earlier now getting intermixed. And this is not the story of Dia only, this is much more than that! This book is so diverse with the themes it carries that you need time to grasp what you have read.

But this book cannot be described by talking about the main protagonist only as it doesn’t have only one, this cannot be explained by giving it a timeline because it doesn’t have only one, and it cannot be restricted by naming some themes that it covers because it doesn’t have only one, it cannot be interpreted by thinking about getting closure to the character, because it doesn’t give that, and that’s why it is “Borderless” in the real sense, in the real essence! It breaks the boundary of characters, timelines, themes, closures, and anything that you expect it to be because it is unconventional! The book truly signifies the title itself and although I felt like why the cover of the book is like this, we get to know about it at the end, and again it’s upon us, the readers that how we take it.

Although the story was a little slow and there were ups and down moments while reading this book for me, it would be wrong to interpret that it was non-interesting. This story demands time, you cannot rush through it or read it in a day by looking at the page count, you have to stop yourself from time to time, sometimes after chapters, sometimes after pages, sometimes after paragraphs, and sometimes after some lines, and think about what was there, and more about what is there being signalled but unsaid! From the start to the middle and almost end, I wasn’t sure what was going on and what should I take or interpret it, and what will be my thoughts, but till the end, specially in the chapters “Shakti At Brunch” and “Victorious”, things started getting clearer for me and then I felt that why the previous chapters were like that!

This book, as I said earlier is like the threads being separated at the start and getting intermixed later, so it will depend on the reader and their views that what they take out of it, for some readers, it would be crocheted beautifully into something they wanted for themselves while for others, it would be nothing more than the tangled threads of no use! And that’s the beauty of the book! You cannot point out to someone and say that you might like it, in the truer sense, it is BORDERLESS!

What I wish could have been more in the book was emotional connectivity with the characters, as I don’t feel connected with them much, maybe because of the changing narratives without the mention of the perspective of which it was, leaving readers to get to know about it while going through it, or changing of the timeline rapidly, as most of the investment goes into understanding what was happening rather than feeling the connection with them. In some places, I felt the characters and the representation to be a little stereotypical as well.

As I said, you cannot recommend this book to someone as you do generally, and so I would say that if you want to read something different, specially in the form of writing and storytelling, you can try this because you don’t come across with the writing style like this regularly. But if you are a beginner, I would recommend you to skip it for the moment and read it after being into reading for some time because of the little complexity it has! I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

[Amit · Rating 2 out of 5]

And what do I say. A promise not fulfilled, a start that faltered very early on in the story . Too many adhoc stories stitched together but leading to no where. It looks like many a chapters of writers workshop have been strewn into a tale.
A novel turned into a novella . A promise of a story that is lost .

[Emily Saso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. So wonderful to be transported around the world through the mind of Namrata Poddar. The rhythm of the writing is exceptional; it was such a pleasure to read. Loved every page.

[ak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Border Less is a beautiful and insightful read. Author Namrata Poddar fluidly weaves several characters’ narratives into a single novel, generating a form that feels honest to the mosaic of experiences born from the migration of people across oceans, islands, and continents. At times witty and intimate, wry and frank, Border Less spins tales of migration with complexity and nuance. Poddar writes with an astute eye toward both interpersonal interaction and global power structures, synthesizing moments diverse in scope. Border Less does just what I hope from a book: it offers unexpected characters and fresh questions to consider — as well as lines so alive or poetik they continue to echo in my head long after reading.

[Anjali Duva · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an unconventional style and approach to the topic of immigration, Namrata Poddar deftly tackles difficult and complex questions of belonging and otherness, covering decades in a slim volume that packs a punch. Using the journey of a call center worker, Dia Mittal, as the common thread, the author pulls us through layers and interconnections, guiding us across the globe and through socio-economic strata, sometimes with humor and always with an eye toward the telling details. A story that is as specific as it is universal.

[Narayani · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all have dreams, we all have goals and being ambitious is not wrong untill you are born a woman. In our society, women are always expected to adjust more, no matter if it is in the family, or at work, or any where else.

This book has the stories of many such women. First one is of Dia Mittal, a hardworking woman who is stuck in a simple middle class family and her dreams. Second one is about Joohi, a mother of three, struggling hard to provide them the best life after her husband's demise, and of many others like Carol, Noor, Neel.
I love how beautifully Poddar ends the book, with no change in speed, no disturbance of flow, and the best part - also connecting all the stories together.

I feel like author's objective was not to deliver the story of a few people but to deliver her thoughts about life, struggle, pain, fear, and challenges.

She creatively writes about women's status in the society, about immigration, and the difficulties one faces while creating their space in this world.

The literary figures of speech the author used in her writing reminds me of Barbara Boynton. Like lady Barbara, she too was taking slow but steady steps towards the high peak. After so long, I felt like I'm reading a book with such a steady flow and no feelings of any void in plot.

Title is appropriate. Bookcover is perfect. Character development is one of my favourite features from the book. It is not just a good book plot-wise, but I also got to learn so much from the writing style of author, being a writing enthusiast.

This creative book is now in my favourite reads of the year and I highly recommend it to readers who believe in emotions more than the fake show.

[Harsh Tyagi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dia Mittal, an airline call centre agent in Mumbai aspires to live the American dream and finally gets to fulfill this wish. What connects the novel's web of border-crossing characters is their quest for belonging and a negotiation of power-struggles, mediated by race, class, gender, nationality, age or place.

The very first chapter got me hooked to the book, and that brilliant cover really helps. The characters are relatable, their stories and struggles known by us. We get to see the stories of all characters and not just the protagonist. The story is as simple as it is complex, and so are the characters. It's an easy read that I finished overnight, just effortless. It's a great journey reading Dia's plans and struggles in Mumbai and while fulfilling her American Dream. The writing style is beautiful, where the characters are introduced as having their own seperate stories and that couldn't have been better, the book divided into two parts- roots & routes. Because each chapter ties up to become this novel, speaking a lot in just 160 pages and leaving the reader with much to ponder over. It's a gorgeous debut and I wish to read more from the author.

[Shreya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've read anything of late that has such resounding takes on Feminine Rage that's bound to leave an impression.

Borderless is a pretty short read (150+ pages) but is packed with so much power, it absolutely blinds you (in a good way)

We meet Dia as your average Indian woman caught up in the All-Indian race to fulfill the American Dream (you and me, we know this all too well). But she does cross the finish line and ticks off everything in your Desi checklist for a successful woman. She works, marries, has children, but somewhere along the line she feels incomplete, much like everyone else who is far from her roots.

This book is a collection of stories from immigrants, people of colour, people with humble roots, women of all races and backgrounds. This book lends you a lens through which you experience the joys and sorrows of migration. The treatment of immigrants in first world countries and the subsequent discrimination in their home countries too. I think this book has broached borders by itself, shedding lights on stories of the people who otherwise would go unheard (for atleast a few years)

Dia's Marwari legacy, her soul sisters and their backgrounds, the way men of my country still see women and refuse to help them, the gender labour disparity, motherhood, marriage, the inequality of it all, this book has it ALL.

I liked the book, it bought me joy and made me equally angry (because no woman reads something about mistreatment of other women and stays calm) and all that rage would be directed into my blogs from now on. My only problem with the book was that I never could quite discern who was talking in each chapter. Was it Dia or one of the others, it was hard to find. And there was some info dump chapters with words and references I couldn't quite grasp. Other than that, the book was okay and highly recommended.

That being said, the last chapter brought literal chills.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written with exquisite language. The structure is experimental with characters interconnected by their South Asian culture and often difficult experiences with the so-called "American Dream." The book is like a feminist, textual collage with the lovely and strong character of Dia Mittal often at the center. Poddar writes with compassion and honesty.

[K]

It is such a boring book. I had to drop it half way. Tried my level best,to complete reading it. But patience gave up.

Please avoid.

[Martha Anne Toll]

Here's my review for NPR Books https://www.npr.org/2022/03/01/108066...

[Piyali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel beautifully explored the recurring question that immigrants face in their lives - where do we belong? Dia Mittal, a young woman in modern India, aspires to have a greater purpose in life than what her mother and extended family want for her. They want her to finish her education and then marry a man of her mother's choice. But Dia wants to not only pursue education and success but wants to stretch herself beyond the confines of her own country. She goes to US to fulfill her dream. She realizes after living outside for a few years that she finds a dissonance with her family in India. And she cannot fully assimilate in America either. In her journey of life she finds that although Indians emigrated to US, they are still steeply mired in patriarchy that they brought from their land. That patriarchy is passed on to the next generation as well. Through Dia's life, Poddar explores pertinent themes of immigrant experiences like estrangement, isolation, desire to belong, otherness and seeking acceptance. The format of this novel did seem fragmented and there were narratives that confused me at times, but at the end it all made sense.

[Sameer Gudhate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The American Dream has been an enduring desire for many Indians, and it is a captivating theme that is frequently explored in Indian literature. With a keen eye for detail and a nuanced understanding of the immigrant experience, Indian authors have deftly portrayed the challenges and opportunities of navigating a new cultural landscape and the complexities of negotiating a multifaceted identity. In Kiran Desai's "The Inheritance of Loss," readers are invited to journey with a range of Indian characters, including a retired judge, his granddaughter, and their cook, who grapple with different forms of marginalization and exclusion in their encounters with American society. Through her vivid prose, Desai illuminates the intricacies of identity and the power struggles that arise in a world that is increasingly globalized and interconnected. The American Dream continues to resonate as a recurring motif in Indian literature, capturing the aspirations and struggles of Indians who yearn for a better life in the United States. Through their masterful storytelling, Indian authors have provided readers with a rich tapestry of insights into the immigrant experience, illuminating the complexities of negotiating cultural identity and the myriad challenges that arise in a world that is both exciting and daunting.

Namrata Poddar's Border Less is a mesmerizing work of fiction that delves deep into the lives of individuals, each one in pursuit of the elusive American Dream. At the heart of the novel lies the story of Dia Mittal, an airline call-centre agent hailing from the bustling city of Mumbai, whose quest for a better life leads her to the United States. Through Dia's eyes, readers are introduced to a diverse and captivating cast of characters, hailing from a variety of backgrounds that span the full spectrum of class, race, gender, age, nationality, and place. From the struggles of travel agents and immigrant maids to the triumphs of blue- and white-collar workers in the hospitality industry, junior and senior artists in Bollywood, hustling single mothers, academics, and tourists in the Third World, the book provides a panoramic view of the experiences of immigrants in the United States.

Poddar's literary prowess shines through in Border Less, a novel that delves into the intricate lives of those who seek the elusive American Dream. Her use of language playfully subverts the conventions of the "mainstream" Western novel, infusing her work with a fresh perspective that challenges established literary norms. What sets "Border Less" apart is its insightful exploration of the intersections of race, class, gender, nationality, age, and place. Poddar artfully weaves together the stories of her characters to reveal the common threads that unite them in their quest for belonging and power. This novel provides a refreshing and engaging perspective on the immigrant experience and the complexities of identity in our ever-changing, globalized world.

Border Less by Namrata Poddar is an exquisitely crafted novel that leaves an indelible mark on the reader's psyche. The author's mastery of the written word is on full display, as her prose ebbs and flows like a river, carrying the reader through a complex and diverse range of experiences. The characters are rendered with a depth and humanity that is rare in contemporary literature, and the intricacies of their struggles for belonging and power are explored with sensitivity and insight. Poddar's writing is a tapestry of lyricism, playfulness, and wisdom, woven together to create a truly unforgettable work of fiction. This is a book that will resonate deeply with anyone who has ever struggled to find their place in the world, and its message is sure to linger long after the final pages have been turned.

[ANMOL JAUHER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Namrata Poddar's "Borderless" is an extraordinary novel that masterfully interweaves a diverse tapestry of characters, spanning a global South Asian community across different social classes and professions. Through their interconnected stories, the book delves into the universal search for belonging and the intricate power dynamics shaped by race, class, gender, nationality, age, and place.

Challenging the conventions of traditional Western novels, "Borderless" captivates readers with its fragmented form, repetition, and inventive use of the English language. These stylistic choices compel readers to question mainstream assumptions and embrace the idea of transcending borders, whether physical or those created by society's divisions based on race, caste, and gender. The novel serves as a powerful reminder of the need to bridge these divisions and find common ground in our shared humanity.

At the center of the narrative is Dia Mittal, an airline call-center agent from Mumbai, who embarks on a journey to the United States in pursuit of a better life. Dia's experiences illuminate the challenges faced by multicultural individuals striving to maintain their roots while navigating a foreign cultural environment. As her dreams of the American dream are tested, readers are drawn into the struggles of establishing a sense of "home" in an unfamiliar land.

The book introduces an array of characters, each offering a unique perspective and experience. From immigrant maids to fashion designers, blue- and white-collar workers in the hospitality industry, and Bollywood artists, their stories shed light on the intricate complexities of living as immigrants and the tension between preserving cultural heritage and embracing assimilation.

Namrata Poddar fearlessly explores the treatment of women in desi households, shining a light on an area where progress is needed within Indian society. Through these narratives, readers gain valuable insights into the interplay of gender, culture, and family dynamics. The book serves as a call to reflect on how we can better support and empower women within our own families and communities.

"Borderless" is an evocative read that skillfully captures the nostalgia and longing for one's roots, while also immersing readers in the realities faced by immigrants. It prompts contemplation on the profound impact of living away from one's home country, where challenges can be magnified due to limited support networks and the necessity for self-reliance.

Although the novel's unique storytelling style may initially disrupt readers' flow, it proves to be a deliberate and impactful choice by the author. This approach allows for a deeper exploration of the characters' emotions and struggles, inviting readers to delve into the inner layers of their experiences rather than being preoccupied with superficial details.

In summary, "Borderless" is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant book that provides profound insights into the immigrant experience. It captures the essence of the struggles faced by women as they navigate the delicate balance between fulfilling family dynamics and pursuing their individual aspirations. Highly recommended for those seeking to reconnect with their roots or reflect on their own journey as immigrants.

[Ankita Khataniar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word “Borderless” invokes a sense of peace and serenity in me. The term, though mostly used in terms of land, is also paramount while describing the situation between races, castes, gender and all the different ways that man has figured out to divide humanity. The book is one such borderless mesh of stories that traverses and interconnects lands and cultures. The storytelling reminded me of the film Valentine’s Day, where different stories intertwine with each out. The only difference being, the film highlighted a single day while the book spans across lifetimes. Take for example Dia, who is sort of the protagonist (I say sort of, because she was the first one to be introduced and the most we know about). Dia dreams of the American dream. She has it all figured out. But life never goes the way one plans. From failed plans to go to America, to one day the dream coming to life in unexpected ways, Dia finds out, at a much later date, that the struggle to call a foreign land “home” is real. To find a place amidst people who are Indian by roots but not by routes, is a ginormous task.
The other characters, whose lives and experiences have also been laid bare in the book showcase the struggles that the multicultural people face as they fight to keep their roots intact. And some, for better or the worse, abandon them entirely to fit into a new mold. But sooner or later, the roots come chasing, whether in the form of a desi wife or the ingrained values of a desi family.
We, desi people, don’t often talk about the hardships of living in countries, with cultures, so far from our own. All we see, or show that it is a matter of extreme pride to be living overseas. We are too used to depicting foreign countries with rose tinted glasses. But when those glasses break and the full glare of the difficulties hits, it is then that we think, “Was this the life we wanted?”
The takeaway from this book is that no matter where we are, our hearts will always keep clasping our roots. But drifting in and out of borderless experiences shall also be part of that life. The book also touches base with another important topic, the treatment of a woman in a desi household. No matter, how progressive we Indians get, this is one area that we truly need to improve. Let me not elaborate on that, but instead turn to the pages of this book to see where we, as a family to our female members, can do better.
With the above points in tow, I do recommend you to read the book. Although let me disclaim that the book made me feel disoriented at first, but soon regained my balance as the chapters progressed. My rating is 4.5 stars.

[Soumya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Border Less by Namrata Poddar is a literary fiction which follows Dia and a lot of people around her, but the story remains central to her.

I would like to start this review with a backstory.

Whenever I read a story, I sub consciously try and relate the things happening with the characters to me and my life. Sometimes it hits on point, other times it is a miss but I learn a lot of things, so it is a win whatever the case is. But whenever I find a story to which I can relate, it makes me very seen and happy.

Border Less was one such story. The plot opens up with Dia at her job in a call canter, and as she lives in the moment, we get to be her, to see her, to understand her aspirations and one realizes that she has big dreams and she is paving her path to that dream despite having lots of issues going on in her lower middle class life.

A things move forward, we see Dia's cousins, her mother, her extended family and get acquainted with their lives what it is like. A Marwari family, who are typically supposed to be rich and loaded with wealth as the stereotype goes, they have a lot of problems, medical bills to pay, to keep in pace with the geographical changes waiting to happen in Mumbai (in 2000s-2010s).

What impressed me tremendously is that the story is very true to its roots in the manner it is written. There is a proper description of what the American dream is for most of the middle class Indians. The struggle to find a place to belong in after being uprooted from their roots is constant, be it in boxed apartments or as a maid in a rich madam's house.

That struggle to fit in was relatable, to find a place to belong, and somehow ending up with two places you can call home, and not knowing which one is your favorite, hence you try to find people to belong to and sometimes if not that then try and find a new vocation to just not crave that feeling of belongingness. It was all too relatable.

The whole book, which showcases the struggle of immigrants and their lives and the lives of their offspring and the contrast and the similarities between all those thins is just written so well.

I have just one small thing that I did not like, that was that though the book is written with multiple point of views, it gets very hard to connect how one is related to the others, and that part just became a speed bump in the reading process.

Otherwise it is a very very great story. I cannot recommend it enough. Just go and give it a read.

[Lisa of Hopewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Interest

Immigrant stories are usually interesting. This is a modern one, so I thought, why not?

Immigrants in the US from India, a woman from Nepal working in India, a woman from Iran, someone from Mauritius–they’re all striving for something better. Then there are the second generation–the ones the women coming to the USA will marry. Their parents made their way from India and formed a community to substitute for the extended families they left behind in India.

All, regardless of generation, have their moments of slights, microaggressions and out-and-out racism.

“[C]ouldn’t they see I was the token Third Worlder among them? Wasn’t their First-World arrogance crossing a line here? I could’ve listed the equations of power and privilege with the shades of brown.”
My Thoughts

General Thoughts: I started out great-guns on this one, then got away from it due to work and got a little lost. I didn’t have enough time (library book) to adequately sort it out.

What I liked: I liked reading about the women’s lives and their thoughts on their men, on having children versus or with a career. And, the seemingly universal problem of getting the men to do any but a favorite or token chores at home.

“If you think his littering is annoying, wait till you’ve to live with your parents-in-law”. And the unyielding grip of the in-laws. “As long as he remembers I’ve married him, not his whole family” one woman says to a friend who then replies “Girlfriend what desi [immigrant] chick married her husband alone?”

I especially liked the Indian woman who did her dinner prep on the train!! Very practical and creative to chop the veggies on the commute home. There were lots of cultural things that caught my eye, too: “Rude to serve guests outside [take out] food” for example. I also liked hearing that the men in India talked about the same politics and sports as they do in the USA (ok, different sports). And, naturally, the women gathered in the kitchen whether they like to cook or not.

The difference in the first and second generations–whether parents in India who sacrificed to send their child abroad to college or those with parents in America. The parents want their children to be financially secure and recognized as successful. When a daughter wants to give up a high-powered career and study art her mother muses: “Isn’t there more to life than making things pretty?”

What I disliked. UGH. Can we have a current day book that does not slip in a smack at Christianity or bemoan Trump?? Good grief it’s getting old. I can’t stand Trump, but I’m getting to dislike the inclusion of hating him as a seeming requirement for publication even more. I threw my phone across the room when I got to one of the mention of Trump. ENOUGH. And, hello? Muslims and Orthodox Jews do not care for the same things these loony, stereotyped cardboard-cutout “Evangelical Christians” do not like–where’s someone making fun of them??? I’m sick of it.

I did not think this book as good as NPR thought it, but I did think it was good–just not great. It does a good job of showing some of today’s career-minded immigrant experience.

[Nidhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borderless, the name and the cover seemed so interesting to me, although for the cover page part, I got it later. You would be able to connect to it later towards the end. I would say that the author, Namrata Poddar, has done a commendable job.
The story involves Dia Mittal, an airline call centre worker, who currently works here in Hansa Airlines, in Mumbai, but like many other people, she dreams about a life abroad! i can barely imagine to live the life she did, managing college, work and dad's health all at once and not to forget the calls she attended as a part of her job which really tested her patience, to be honest i could really feel how tired she must be but what added the real flavour to it was her thirst for dance, the description of her moves, the 'dhoom machale' really reflected how dance was her best medicine for life. There came certain obstacles in between but nothing could stop her from chasing her dream life which i once thought was shattered because of the circumstances. She then gets to live her dream, and not only her's but every middle class Indian's dream with that craze to immigrate to the USA. She moves to California. She's working there, married and has children now, almost everything that she dreamt of. But there's something that she's missing. That's her roots, as she and all other people are living there as immigrants. The two contrasting continents. The book takes us through all the difficulties that people face as immigrants. Lives of immigrants are not so easy. A bit of emotional connection there. I could feel bad in some manner for some of my distant relatives living there. The book brings the change in the mindset of our so-called American Life.
Overall, with a wide variety of themes and topics discussed there in, it turned out to be a good read for me. Also one thing that I would suggest to the readers is to read it carefully, as the first few chapters seem totally different to each other but with the pace of the story everything gets connected later. That's why you need to be focused while reading the story. Otherwise you may get lost with the wide range of themes present in the book. I was able to enjoy the points where everything got connected because I took my time to read the story and just didn't rush. For me, it was an altogether different read. Happy to read it!

[Aditi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember the popular song in the 90s, It's a Hard Knock Life? That song kept popping into my head as I read this novel.

If you are an immigrant who came to the United States - read this book.
If you are a person who thinks of migrating to the United States - read this book.
​If you are a person who lived in the United States your whole life - read this book.

An insightful debut about immigration, hardship, and striving with existential crisis and success against all odds.

The story revolves around Dia Mittal and then the author weaves the tapestry by talking the women around in fragments. The author is focusing on how big and deep the American Dream has affected third-world nations. What all it takes to dream something so big and how much it can bind the people. The characters in the novel felt like they share kind of a similar history as us. The burden, the foundations, and the responsibilities gravitate us to the core but all we want is to be free.

This book will help you see the things you knew of, but ignored for so long, it will knock off the pink glasses you view the world through right off your head, and then hit you with them for good measure too.
The lives of most immigrants are a dialectic between the memories of the world left behind and the day-to-day struggles of learning the ropes of a new society.

Mastering a new language, living and working among strangers, and coping with the unfamiliar are only some of the challenges faced by immigrants. It is no wonder that nostalgia has a strong grip on the cultural pursuits of immigrants.

Immigrant communities generally find comfort in familiar religious traditions and rituals, seek out newspapers and literature from the homeland, and celebrate holidays and special occasions with traditional music, dance, cuisine, and leisure-time pursuits.

Some things sang true. It's that line between illusion and reality that many people try to blur out, but it stands out big time for those who experienced it firsthand. Hence how I was able to finish it in a single sitting. It was very interesting.

[Kshitij Bajpai · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does it mean to be a woman who wants something in life? Border Less by Namrata Poddar is about this question. Women of different, difficult backgrounds who stumble upon each other maybe once in a lifetime without probably even realising the struggles of the other person; that's Border Less. Its about Dia Mittal, whose family lost a lot of generational fortune in her father's cancer treatment. She aspires to study abroad, in universities like Colgate or Rice or UPenn. On the other side of the canvas, we have Joohi, a widow who lost her husband to cancer and is now working to provide for her children paycheck to paycheck. The story continues as we follow these two women, specifically Dia on her journey.
Various themes are discovered and discussed throughout the book: the futility of the American dream, hiraeth, feeling left out among the people who were your family, and my favourite, the treatment of Desis women in America by Indians who just have the brown skin to show in the name of their nationality.
The writing is simply immaculate, the emotions like a sharpened arrow and the plot flawless affair. You see the attachment Dia has with her mother, yet how she feels constrained by her concern, how Dia doesn't feel like home even when she's with her lovely cousins, and how Indians cuss Americans and their society yet shamelessly force their kids into SATs tuitions to get a perfect 1600 score to make it to an Ivy.
This book spoke to me because I felt heard. I'm not an NRI, but my uncle is, and in some manner, I guess I could understand how he manages it all, or how he has changed but still yearns for dahi-paratha instead of a PB&J.
Border Less defies its name and holds true to it at the same time; how sexism of Indian households is maintained with the same dignity in an apartment of the Bay Area, and how you feel like you would never belong in the country you've worked so hard to move to, asking yourself the same question again and again and again, 'Should I sell the haveli?'

[Jayoti Mondal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Immigrant culture is a natural, breathing and living entity that deserves to be mediated more. Recently I came across the book ‘Borderless’ by Namrata Podder. Since I want to fly away someday to some distant part of the world for a better living, I wanted to know what Borderless had to speak about and spoke it did.
One while reading can determine that Roots, Identity, Immigrant culture, and the ‘American’ dream form the cruxes of this book. The struggle of the middle class, the tiny wisps of the American dream spreading its roots, the arrival in a new country with its own share of unique struggles, the living out of boxes, to find stability in a new land and amongst new people, the outliers even after years of assimilation, the narratives of 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation comes outs pouring in through Namrata’s swift stories dealt in fragments.
It starts with Dia Mittal and through her lens and the lenses of other immigrants connected to Dia, we get to read about the borderless experience of minds trying to make it big in new places.
The journey is divided into roots and routes. The readers are taken in for a ride to witness these characters live and breathe and slowly morph into people with multi-cultural life, not belonging anywhere at the end with only some part of their roots still intact.
I loved reading the last three chapters of the book which delineated the struggles of 1st generation immigrants, something that the 2nd and 3rd generations wouldn’t know unless their hearts open to it. They would never be the subject but simple bystanders to history are crucial to know where they belong to. I loved reading about the woes of women and the intricacies of relationships within such families.
The book triggered something in me, maybe, my primal urge to never forget my roots and the fear of what if I forget or the new land with its influences make me. But life goes on, even if you morph into a new being, your roots stay intact, albeit hidden but still there, mingling with the new, creating new borderless experiences.

[Sukaina Majeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Dia starts in Mumbai where she is working in a call centre and has a boyfriend Aziz who plan to chase the American dream. Then there is Joohi who is a mother of three left widowed and takes care of her children and runs the household in whatever capacity she can.
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So why borderless? Borderless is a book divided into two parts - Roots and Routes.
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The book follows the journey of Dia along with Joohi in Mumbai where in the first part Dia struggles with her ailing father and her mother while Dia is more focused on getting settled in the United States of America.
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Borderless focuses on the young Indian that is looking at making a life that's outside of India and how Dia gets alienated by her cousins and relatives and the realisation that dawns on her why certain things change for her.
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In the second part you see Dia settled in the States and yet she is struggling to be able to find her ground along with the other friends and acquaintances.
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The book explores the life of a woman whether she is living in India or she is settled in America where the circumstances remain the same for her but because she is living in "First world" she should be thankful but is this what she really imagined her life to be?
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Or will she continue to adjust, adjust, adjust like she had to due to the circumstances that fell upon her.
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Namrata Poddar removes the western voice from her novel telling the voice of an Indian who wishes to live a better life but where she comes back to living in the same lifestyle only with a difference of seven oceans. It was a delightful narrative that captures the thought, the dream and the "SETTLED LIFE" so many dream of but what it is do they get in return.
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A moving and contemplative narrative that vividly captures the life of an NRI and the concept of first generation American and what it really means for the individual.

[Prajwal Shettigar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book titled "Border Less" authored by Namrata Poddar is a story that revolves around Dia Mittal, an airline call-center agent in Mumbai who is searching for a better life. As she travels to the United States, her checkered relationship with the American Dream dialogues with the experiences of a diverse group of characters, each with their unique quest for belonging and negotiation of power struggles. It is a gripping and thought-provoking novel that delves deep into the experiences and perspectives of a global South Asian community across the class spectrum.

The book is primarily divided into 2 sections i.e. Roots which consists of 9 chapters and Routes which contains 10 chapters respectively. The author's fragmented form, staccato rhythm, repetition, and play with the English language, challenge the assumptions of the "mainstream" Western novel. Poddar's writing style is both unique and refreshing, with a strong emphasis on character development and a nuanced exploration of race, class, gender, nationality, age, or place.

The novel's web of border-crossing characters is both diverse and relatable, with each character providing a unique perspective on the world. From call-center agents and immigrant maids to fashion designers and blue-collar workers, the characters in the book represent a cross-section of society and highlight the struggles and challenges faced by people from all walks of life.

Overall, "Border Less" is an engaging and insightful novel that explores the complexities of modern life in a rapidly changing world. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring issues of identity, belonging, and power in a globalized world. Namrata Poddar's unique writing style and the novel's diverse cast of characters make this book a memorable and mesmerizing read.

[Abhinav Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.”

-Patrick Rothfuss, author

Borderless, through its title, travels through nations, generations, peoples, and cultures. After reading the story, it is hard to believe how closely, different kinds of lives are connected.

The book starts with Dia Mittal, a working professional in the USA dealing with airline call-help services. Her life, her rules, Dia appreciates the life she wanted but there are a lot of tasks and functions to manage in her routine, among friends, relationships, and professional areas. Moving forward, we shift the focus to India, to different stories of some women protagonists, and their lives. For the first few chapters for me, it was hard to capture the flow but after some chapters the picture of the story becomes clearer and the sense of feel become visible. This book focuses on the lives of women who are working and love the kind of lives they live, with borders or without borders. Somewhere the theme touches on the conditions of immigrants, somewhere it shows the working conditions or it goes on with choices of different women.
The story is unique in the sense that, it connects different countries' cultures through its characters.

The book shares a lifestyle, a generation of the modern world which deals with a hidden world in themselves. From my observation, this book shares an urban civilization aspect and the role of women in it. Beyond rules and regulations and beyond boundaries.

I appreciated the work and the story which can't be told easily because it is mull and tangled; the author did a great job by knitting the shattered threads together.
Highly recommended.

[Brown Girl Bookshelf]

Namrata Poddar's debut novel brings to life the experiences of being an immigrant. The depth of writing and warmth in this novel made me reflect along with the protagonist on my own attachments to my motherland.

Poddar follows airline call center agent Dia’s move across the pond to America. I loved Poddar’s imagery, subtly in messaging, and the care with which she honors multiple perspectives from people in Dia’s life.

Poddar does not overly dramatize Dia’s experiences; using everyday instances I could deeply relate to, she subtly demonstrates the isolation immigrants can experience when trying to straddle two cultures. Dia encounters the quintessential immigrant dilemma of never feeling or being seen as Indian or American enough. As Dia gets older, her physical connection to India is ultimately whittled down to her family’s Haveli. Readers move through Dia’s internal monologue as she decides the fate of the property. If sold, the decision will sever her only physical tie to India. I know that in time I will have to make a similar decision on my parent’s flat in Mulund. What will link me to the motherland then?

Poddar also accurately captures immigrant parents who hold onto old-fashioned ways of thinking. In one instance, Dia observes her husband’s family friend group, a mix of immigrant parents and second-generation American children, self-segregate in social gatherings: ladies in the kitchen and the men outside drinking. This instance felt familiar, and as Dia gently tries to move the needle on social progress in her own circles, Poddar reminds readers that change is a slow process, often requiring empathy, patience, and rejiggering over multiple generations.

[Deamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 35 of 2023 - Borderless by Namrata Poddar - Vivid tapestry filled with immigrant woman emotions and struggles
Rating: 4 stars
I am a mixed reader, so I am always on the search for Indian books to keep it refreshing, Borderless checked all my tick boxes, so picked it up. Also, it is a type of book which mixes Indian and American styles, making it a more polished read like books by some of my favourite authors Jhumpa Lahiri, Chitra Devakaruni and Sonali Dev, which made it a must read.

By stating the obvious first, I can say it was a different reading experience when compared to my other reads, a colourful and vivid tapestry filled with emotions, changes and needs to sacrifice experienced by Millennial women who have to thread a balancing act of family expectations and individual expectations. The process is made even harder living away from their home country where challenges are even more like less support and have to be more hands on with their life. Also interwoven with nostalgia of old India and need to reconnect with their roots as they are true Indians too, capturing the true emotions of immigrants.

The disjointed story writing style made it an even more unique read. At first, it was a bit weird, but then slowly I understood the intent of the author, to make us focus on the more finer details like feelings, emotional struggles than the outer layers of people or situations which blew me away in many parts.

The book was an experience. It gave me a lot of food for thought when trying to connect with the struggles I am facing currently, and I loved it. I would recommend this for anyone who wants to reconnect with their roots with nostalgia or reminisce about old roots.

[Padmajha [PJ] Me and My Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut novel by Namrata Poddar was something different from what I have been reading. It is divided into two parts – Roots and Routes and talks about the life of Dia Mittal.
Dia works as a call center executive and has the ‘American Dream’ - to immigrate and have a better life abroad. Several things going on in her life like her father being terminally ill, her college finals, and then her job, making her dream seem distant. What happens after that is the crux of the story.
The story shows the life of immigrants both young and old and how their perspective of the American Dream has been changing. The characterization of second and third generations of these immigrants have been are also been brought out well.
The amount of sacrifices and struggles they go through and at the end when they realize their dream, the effects it has on them and their family is also conveyed.
So many instances both that take place in India and as well as in America are relatable and I also liked how the author has named the places, corporates etc.
The timelines of the story are very random and so are the characters’ POVs. They jump across time and at first, I was confused. The change in the narrative made the story sound disjointed but around the middle of the book, I sort of got used to the storytelling style and the reading experience was smoother. I think this is exactly what the author has done - bringing together the title and the narration!
And maybe due to the disjointed writing style, I was not able to connect much with the characters.
I would give 4/5 stars for this read because of the different writing styles. Overall the story was good. Though I did not enjoy this style others may want to try it if they want to experience something different in writing form.