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Circa Unabridged POD
For fans of The Burning Girl by Claire Messud and Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi, a stunning, gut-punch of a novel that follows a young Indian American woman who, in the wake of tragedy, must navigate her family's expectations as she grapples with a complicated love and loss.
On the cusp of her eighteenth birthday, Heera and her best friends, siblings Marie and Marco, tease the fun out of life in Raleigh, North Carolina, with acts of rebellion and delinquency. They paint the town's water towers with red anarchy symbols and hang out at the local bus station to pickpocket money for their Great Escape to New York. But no matter how much Heera defies her strict upbringing, she's always avoided any real danger--until one devastating night changes everything.
In its wake, Marco reinvents himself as Crash and spends his days womanizing and burning through a string of jobs. Meanwhile, Heera's dream to go to college in New York is suddenly upended. Over the years, Heera's and Crash's paths cross and recross on a journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, and betrayals.
Heart-wrenching, darkly funny, and buoyed by gorgeous prose, Circa is at once an irresistible love story and a portrait of a young woman torn between duty and her own survival, between obligation and freedom.
On the cusp of her eighteenth birthday, Heera and her best friends, siblings Marie and Marco, tease the fun out of life in Raleigh, North Carolina, with acts of rebellion and delinquency. They paint the town's water towers with red anarchy symbols and hang out at the local bus station to pickpocket money for their Great Escape to New York. But no matter how much Heera defies her strict upbringing, she's always avoided any real danger--until one devastating night changes everything.
In its wake, Marco reinvents himself as Crash and spends his days womanizing and burning through a string of jobs. Meanwhile, Heera's dream to go to college in New York is suddenly upended. Over the years, Heera's and Crash's paths cross and recross on a journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, and betrayals.
Heart-wrenching, darkly funny, and buoyed by gorgeous prose, Circa is at once an irresistible love story and a portrait of a young woman torn between duty and her own survival, between obligation and freedom.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 2022
22 people are currently reading
3872 people want to read
About the author
Devi S. Laskar
13 books119 followersDevi S. Laskar is the author of The Atlas of Reds and Blues (Counterpoint Press, 2019), winner of 7th annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize (2020) for best debut novel set in the South, winner of the 2020 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature; selected by The Georgia Center for the Book as a 2019 book “All Georgians Should Read,” finalist for the 2020 Northern California Book Award, long-listed for the DSC Prize in South Asian Literature and the Golden Poppy Award. The novel was named by The Washington Post as one of the 50 best books of 2019, and has garnered praise in Booklist, Chicago Review of Books, The Guardian and elsewhere.
Laskar's second novel, CIRCA, will be published on May 3, 2022, by Mariner Books (@marinerbooks).
Laskar holds an MFA from Columbia University and an MA in South & West Asian Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds BAs in English and Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. She is an alumna of both TheOpEdProject and VONA, among others. In 2017, Finishing Line Press published two poetry chapbooks. A native of Chapel Hill, N.C., she now lives in California with her family.
Laskar's second novel, CIRCA, will be published on May 3, 2022, by Mariner Books (@marinerbooks).
Laskar holds an MFA from Columbia University and an MA in South & West Asian Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds BAs in English and Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. She is an alumna of both TheOpEdProject and VONA, among others. In 2017, Finishing Line Press published two poetry chapbooks. A native of Chapel Hill, N.C., she now lives in California with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
June 24, 2022
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Circa had the potential of being an immersive and compelling read. Sadly, the structure and length of the narrative do the story no favors, as the final product ultimately struck me as formulaic in a-MFA-program type of way. Sure, Devi S. Laskar quite effectively utilizes a 2nd pov, which is no easy feat. Beyond this stylistic choice, the novel doesn’t have a lot to offer. This is the kind of narrative that strikes me as being more interested in presenting its readers with a certain evocative style than introducing us to dimensional characters. The structure of the novel struck me as somewhat inconsistent. At first, it brought to mind books like All the Water I’ve Seen Is Running, Friends & Dark Shapes, and Another Brooklyn, in that it honed in on specific moments of Heera's youth, but as the story progresses the narrative loses its atmosphere as it switches to a telling mode where it covers large swathes of time with little fanfare so that I felt at a remove by what Heera had experienced.
Circa is centred on Heera, ‘you’, an Indian American teenager who is coming of age in Raleigh, North Carolina during the late 80s. Heera hangs out a lot with siblings Marie and Marco, often in secrecy as her parents do not approve of her friendship with the Grimaldi children. Together they rebel the way some teenagers do, disobeying their parents, and sneaking behind their parents’ backs. Sometimes they steal from their parents or strangers, other times they do edgy eff society type of graffiti. Anyway, Heera is smitten with Marco, kind of. Eventually, something bad happens that changes their dynamic, and Marco reinvents himself as Crash, while Heera finds herself having to grapple between her sense of self-fulfilment and her parents' desires. Should she go to college? Marry? Can she or does she want to do both? The author does highlight the limited possibilities available to a woman, specifically a woc, at the time, juxtaposing her path to Crash’s one. Sure, the author does provide an all too relevant commentary on the American Dream, stressing its elusiveness, and a poignant enough portrait of a family caught between generational and cultural differences, however, the whole Crash/Heera dynamic really was deeply underwhelming. Marie is very much a plot device, someone who is used as a source of trauma for Heera and Crash, someone who is supposedly meant to make their bond all the more complex…but she was so one-dimensional and served such a disposable function in the story that I really felt like she wasn’t a character, let alone a rounded person. Crash seemed the male version of a pixie girl, not quite as extra ‘that’s literary me’ type of guy (who is thinks he is the narrator from fight club or the joker), more of a vanilla sad-meets-bad boi. Heera in many ways is rather a passive presence, and I was unable to understand her obsession with Crash, let alone believe that the two shared an intimate bond. I think the story is at its best when it hones in on domestic moments, in particular in Heera’s interactions with her parents or when exploring the tension between her family and the Grimaldi. I think I would have liked this story to have solely focused on familial and platonic relationships, rather than going for this wattpad type of romance (‘i can fix him’...come no). The latter half of the novel strays into melodrama, with quite a few characters disappearing because of actual reasons and or no reasons. A whole portion of Heera’s story is delivered in such a rushed and dispassionate way that it really pulled me out of her story.
Given the premise, I was hoping for something with more oomph. The ‘crucial’ event isn’t all that important in the end, as the distance between Crash and Heera could have easily happened without that having to occur. The ‘betrayals’ mentioned in the summary lead me to believe in a story with more conflict, whereas here the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Crash and Heera brought to mind the milquetoast straights-miscommunicating-or-having-0-communication that dominated in much of Normal People. I think it would have been more effective if the author had either opted for a longer and slower-paced storyline (which would have allowed her to expand certain scenes, rather than just relating important moments in a couple of sentences, and made the characters more rounded) or if she had fully committed to a snappier snapshot-like narrative (a la What We Lose or Ghost Forest). I mean, this wasn't a bad read but it is the type of book I will forget about in a few weeks or so.
If this book is on your radar I suggest you check out more positive reviews out.
Circa had the potential of being an immersive and compelling read. Sadly, the structure and length of the narrative do the story no favors, as the final product ultimately struck me as formulaic in a-MFA-program type of way. Sure, Devi S. Laskar quite effectively utilizes a 2nd pov, which is no easy feat. Beyond this stylistic choice, the novel doesn’t have a lot to offer. This is the kind of narrative that strikes me as being more interested in presenting its readers with a certain evocative style than introducing us to dimensional characters. The structure of the novel struck me as somewhat inconsistent. At first, it brought to mind books like All the Water I’ve Seen Is Running, Friends & Dark Shapes, and Another Brooklyn, in that it honed in on specific moments of Heera's youth, but as the story progresses the narrative loses its atmosphere as it switches to a telling mode where it covers large swathes of time with little fanfare so that I felt at a remove by what Heera had experienced.
Circa is centred on Heera, ‘you’, an Indian American teenager who is coming of age in Raleigh, North Carolina during the late 80s. Heera hangs out a lot with siblings Marie and Marco, often in secrecy as her parents do not approve of her friendship with the Grimaldi children. Together they rebel the way some teenagers do, disobeying their parents, and sneaking behind their parents’ backs. Sometimes they steal from their parents or strangers, other times they do edgy eff society type of graffiti. Anyway, Heera is smitten with Marco, kind of. Eventually, something bad happens that changes their dynamic, and Marco reinvents himself as Crash, while Heera finds herself having to grapple between her sense of self-fulfilment and her parents' desires. Should she go to college? Marry? Can she or does she want to do both? The author does highlight the limited possibilities available to a woman, specifically a woc, at the time, juxtaposing her path to Crash’s one. Sure, the author does provide an all too relevant commentary on the American Dream, stressing its elusiveness, and a poignant enough portrait of a family caught between generational and cultural differences, however, the whole Crash/Heera dynamic really was deeply underwhelming. Marie is very much a plot device, someone who is used as a source of trauma for Heera and Crash, someone who is supposedly meant to make their bond all the more complex…but she was so one-dimensional and served such a disposable function in the story that I really felt like she wasn’t a character, let alone a rounded person. Crash seemed the male version of a pixie girl, not quite as extra ‘that’s literary me’ type of guy (who is thinks he is the narrator from fight club or the joker), more of a vanilla sad-meets-bad boi. Heera in many ways is rather a passive presence, and I was unable to understand her obsession with Crash, let alone believe that the two shared an intimate bond. I think the story is at its best when it hones in on domestic moments, in particular in Heera’s interactions with her parents or when exploring the tension between her family and the Grimaldi. I think I would have liked this story to have solely focused on familial and platonic relationships, rather than going for this wattpad type of romance (‘i can fix him’...come no). The latter half of the novel strays into melodrama, with quite a few characters disappearing because of actual reasons and or no reasons. A whole portion of Heera’s story is delivered in such a rushed and dispassionate way that it really pulled me out of her story.
Given the premise, I was hoping for something with more oomph. The ‘crucial’ event isn’t all that important in the end, as the distance between Crash and Heera could have easily happened without that having to occur. The ‘betrayals’ mentioned in the summary lead me to believe in a story with more conflict, whereas here the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Crash and Heera brought to mind the milquetoast straights-miscommunicating-or-having-0-communication that dominated in much of Normal People. I think it would have been more effective if the author had either opted for a longer and slower-paced storyline (which would have allowed her to expand certain scenes, rather than just relating important moments in a couple of sentences, and made the characters more rounded) or if she had fully committed to a snappier snapshot-like narrative (a la What We Lose or Ghost Forest). I mean, this wasn't a bad read but it is the type of book I will forget about in a few weeks or so.
If this book is on your radar I suggest you check out more positive reviews out.
December 21, 2021
In this stunning follow-up to The Atlas of Reds and Blues, Devi S. Laskar's Circa explores the bonds of friendship and the lifelong reverberations of its loss. As her complicated relationship with Crash frays in the wake of a shared tragedy, Heera presses up against the expectations not only of her family but of what it means to be a brown woman in America, raising her own camera to reverse its gaze. Lyrical, unflinching, and darkly funny, Circa shines with Laskar's signature luminous prose and unforgettable characters.
November 8, 2021
I loved this book. Highly recommend.
September 4, 2022
I was very taken with Laskar's first novel, 'The Atlas of Reds and Blues', written in short chapter bursts, spare of words but overflowing with meaning and purpose. After reading an explanation regarding the origins of this story, I was intrigued enough to check it out. My read was definitely influenced by that backstory.
I really enjoy Laskar's prose.
"Ma's wail is muffled, but the words are as sharp as a new pair of scissors, slicing through the sour air of the apartment. "Even now, you only care for yourself, and that boy. You don't even see past him."
Baba stands like a garden stature, the kind that seems poised for flight but only spouts recycled water through a blackened mouth."
I like her whittled way of telling a story, chiselling away at the core, leaving some parts scattered behind while she burrows deeper to reveal a hidden knot, a hardness that resists molding. A story where cultures clash, where personalities bristle under expectations, where loss creates a chasm in place of solid ground, where the lost get found or find their way out.
There is so much more that she could have said in the pages, but to my mind, she offered just enough to make you inspect the shavings on the ground for yourself, in order to fully appreciate what she carved.
"In the dream, you are American: not Heera Sanyal with a multitude of prefixes and hyphens and expectations in the shape and weight of a shifting subcontinent thousands of miles away.
I really enjoy Laskar's prose.
"Ma's wail is muffled, but the words are as sharp as a new pair of scissors, slicing through the sour air of the apartment. "Even now, you only care for yourself, and that boy. You don't even see past him."
Baba stands like a garden stature, the kind that seems poised for flight but only spouts recycled water through a blackened mouth."
I like her whittled way of telling a story, chiselling away at the core, leaving some parts scattered behind while she burrows deeper to reveal a hidden knot, a hardness that resists molding. A story where cultures clash, where personalities bristle under expectations, where loss creates a chasm in place of solid ground, where the lost get found or find their way out.
There is so much more that she could have said in the pages, but to my mind, she offered just enough to make you inspect the shavings on the ground for yourself, in order to fully appreciate what she carved.
"In the dream, you are American: not Heera Sanyal with a multitude of prefixes and hyphens and expectations in the shape and weight of a shifting subcontinent thousands of miles away.
June 2, 2022
Back on my sad girl shit
May 16, 2022
I really enjoyed Laskar’s debut novel, but this one was even better somehow. Her prose was once again beautiful and this time the story carved into me in a way I just cannot explain.
This was a book filled with such a mix of heartbreak and hope, of family and culture, of love and loss. I loved getting lost in the world of this first generation Indian American living in North Carolina and New York in the 80s and 90s.
My only tiny criticism is the synopsis gives too much away, so skip it.
This was a book filled with such a mix of heartbreak and hope, of family and culture, of love and loss. I loved getting lost in the world of this first generation Indian American living in North Carolina and New York in the 80s and 90s.
My only tiny criticism is the synopsis gives too much away, so skip it.
June 11, 2022
Devi Laskar has quickly become one of my favorite writers. Her lyrical and poetic style make her books so compulsive to read. I always find myself wishing there were more and more to read. Circa certainly lived up to all of my expectations. Heera, Marco and Marie were incredibly likable characters whose lived I was immediately invested in. All of the supporting characters, like Heera's parents, Neel, Neel's parents, the Grimaldis and Katrina felt like incredibly real, fleshed out characters despite the focus not being on them. I really enjoyed feeling as though I knew everyone incredibly well.
The ending was beautiful even though I wished I could have kept reading about what happens next. Overall, I enjoyed this the whole way through and can't wait to read what Devi writes next.
The ending was beautiful even though I wished I could have kept reading about what happens next. Overall, I enjoyed this the whole way through and can't wait to read what Devi writes next.
April 10, 2022
Loved it! Fast read that explored the nuances of a first gen Indian American teenage girl growing up in North Carolina under strict, traditional parents. A tragedy alters the course of her life forever, and she is forced to come to terms with it while navigating her life- torn between reckless American teen and obedient daughter. I loved the second person writing, it almost reads like poetry!
November 13, 2021
Heera, Marco, and Marie are best friends growing up together in NC. They spend time perfecting their pickpocket skills and dreaming of running away to NY. Heera's parents are typically strict Indian parents and don't approve of the friendship. Their lives are never the same after tragedy strikes. Over the course of several years, the friends paths cross many times. Life goes on and yet the past is always there.
This book is a journey through Heera's life. While I wasn't a big fan of the writing style, I still found the story to be well written and full of emotion. Rebellion, obedience, heartache, acceptance, these are some of the themes in this story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is a journey through Heera's life. While I wasn't a big fan of the writing style, I still found the story to be well written and full of emotion. Rebellion, obedience, heartache, acceptance, these are some of the themes in this story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 6, 2022
This was beautifully written and interesting, but the main character’s desperation to be as white as possible was so intense I almost thought Mindy Kaling wrote this book (she didn’t). I also thought certain parts of the plot could have been developed more, and we could have been given a little more detail to better understand the other characters.
June 5, 2022
Oof, this book had a lot of emotions. Really at the core of it, it was a book about grief, loss, and the need to be understood. This book follows Heera/Dia through her life as teenager/early adult and her relationship to the Grimaldi siblings, Marie and Marco/Crash. It was interesting seeing their interactions and how she was able to be her true and authentic self, and how her parents interpreted that relationship, especially as she got older and her relationship with Marco/Crash changed and flowed over time.
There was a lot of cultural context that I won’t ever understand from the Indian/Indian-American standpoint, but could definitely understand from the child of immigrants standpoint. For example, Heera did have an arranged marriage and since I’ve personally heard both the pros and cons of this, it didn’t really impact my view of the story. What I did find incredibly fascinating was how relationships had changed with her parents as she now had to abide by the rules of her in-laws who were very concerned about outside perceptions. It was beautiful to see Heera eventually take her life into her own hands, with her parents eventual support, and live her life how she wanted to with the people she wanted to.
I’m not a fan of second person perspective writing so I will admit that at some points, it took me a bit out of the story, but it never really took away from the story. It was a super easy read and easy to get lost in.
There was a lot of cultural context that I won’t ever understand from the Indian/Indian-American standpoint, but could definitely understand from the child of immigrants standpoint. For example, Heera did have an arranged marriage and since I’ve personally heard both the pros and cons of this, it didn’t really impact my view of the story. What I did find incredibly fascinating was how relationships had changed with her parents as she now had to abide by the rules of her in-laws who were very concerned about outside perceptions. It was beautiful to see Heera eventually take her life into her own hands, with her parents eventual support, and live her life how she wanted to with the people she wanted to.
I’m not a fan of second person perspective writing so I will admit that at some points, it took me a bit out of the story, but it never really took away from the story. It was a super easy read and easy to get lost in.
September 20, 2024
In her late teens, Heera is an American girl with Indian parents ruling her life. Every bloody aspect of her high school experience is hell due to her authoritative parents and their persistent meddling. One fateful night, her best friend is killed in a tragic accident. From there, her life is nothing short of a downward spiral. An arranged marriage, quickly followed by a pregnancy, a lying husband and her cold, uncaring and over-the-top dictatorial in-laws makes her life pure hell. While I'd found the storyline moving, unfortunately the prose left me cold and indifferent.
May 24, 2022
I loved "The Atlas of Reds and Blues" so I was keen to read this one. An interesting insight into the lives of Indian Americans trying to keep their traditions and yet fit in as a teenager as well. But what possessed the author to write this in the second person? I think it lost a star just for that. Laskar writes beautifully so lets hope she goes back to a less irritating structure next time.
June 12, 2022
Woooow. This is insanely good. Emotional and beautiful and I savored every second.
Definitely a book I originally borrowed from the library, but will be buying my own copy to sit proudly on my shelves.
Definitely a book I originally borrowed from the library, but will be buying my own copy to sit proudly on my shelves.
January 11, 2023
3.5 bumped up! This was a beautifully written story about tragedy, love, loss, and grief — I wanted the best for Heera & for Marco but life truly kept kicking them while they were down. Eventually, I feel like things worked out for the both of them, but I’m still left wondering. Bumped up to 4 ⭐️ because I enjoyed the writing!
September 11, 2024
This was a quick read. You’ve read the blurb so I won’t rehash the details here. I found the main character’s actions and the things that happened to her saddening. I felt connected but also disconnected from her the entire book.
I did not love or hate this book. I would read another book by this author.
The narrator is awesome on the audiobook!
I did not love or hate this book. I would read another book by this author.
The narrator is awesome on the audiobook!
December 20, 2023
I read this book for the Pop Sugar challenge prompt- book written during NaNoWriMo. The second person narrative was interesting and a little disorienting, but the story as a whole just fell flat.
August 26, 2023
Wow!!! This was beautifully written. Just unbelievable.
May 17, 2023
"Your story does not begin with you; It inevitably begins with your parents. And their story does not begin with them..."
Happy paperback release day to this absolute gem of a book Circa by Devi S. Laskar! Thanks to @marinerbooks for the gifted copy.
I don't know what made me pick up this book knowing it was going to be a sad book. After reading this one and seeing Marco (Crash) and Heera's emotional journey through grief, I know that it was just what I needed to be reading while still navigating my own grief about losing one of my best friends recently. He was like a brother to me and I totally related to how Heera was so stuck in her grief when Marie died. Reading this one gave me permission and validation and grieve in my own way and to move forward at my own pace.
Grief shows up in so many ways. Laskar's multiple POV's helps the reader see grief in several forms: leaving your home country, losing a loved one, losing a child, losing your health, and unaccomplished goals. The author's writing was so gorgeous & poetic that it managed to convey so much beauty despite the pain. I loved that she showed how grief can manifest as disobedience, risk taking, disassociate and juvenile delinquency. Grief can also sometimes cause survivors to stay stuck in that moment when their loved one died. Moving through grief can be messy and from the outside looking in can appear more dangerous than painful. Sometimes decisions made while going through grief aren't always the best but patience and understanding go a long way in helping someone grieving come out on the other side ready to continue life. That's one of the biggest takeaways I got from this one.
I loved Heera's character because I could relate to her struggles of being raised in between two worlds, two nations and two lifestyles. Her parent's trauma about having to leave their country played out in their hypervigilance and worry about her losing her traditions. I also really enjoyed how they showed the healing power of art & how instrumental art is for identity & self expression.
If you love emotional, coming of age stories that tackle the complexities of being a child of Asian immigrants, read this one.
Happy paperback release day to this absolute gem of a book Circa by Devi S. Laskar! Thanks to @marinerbooks for the gifted copy.
I don't know what made me pick up this book knowing it was going to be a sad book. After reading this one and seeing Marco (Crash) and Heera's emotional journey through grief, I know that it was just what I needed to be reading while still navigating my own grief about losing one of my best friends recently. He was like a brother to me and I totally related to how Heera was so stuck in her grief when Marie died. Reading this one gave me permission and validation and grieve in my own way and to move forward at my own pace.
Grief shows up in so many ways. Laskar's multiple POV's helps the reader see grief in several forms: leaving your home country, losing a loved one, losing a child, losing your health, and unaccomplished goals. The author's writing was so gorgeous & poetic that it managed to convey so much beauty despite the pain. I loved that she showed how grief can manifest as disobedience, risk taking, disassociate and juvenile delinquency. Grief can also sometimes cause survivors to stay stuck in that moment when their loved one died. Moving through grief can be messy and from the outside looking in can appear more dangerous than painful. Sometimes decisions made while going through grief aren't always the best but patience and understanding go a long way in helping someone grieving come out on the other side ready to continue life. That's one of the biggest takeaways I got from this one.
I loved Heera's character because I could relate to her struggles of being raised in between two worlds, two nations and two lifestyles. Her parent's trauma about having to leave their country played out in their hypervigilance and worry about her losing her traditions. I also really enjoyed how they showed the healing power of art & how instrumental art is for identity & self expression.
If you love emotional, coming of age stories that tackle the complexities of being a child of Asian immigrants, read this one.
March 22, 2022
This is the only book I can recall reading written in the second person and I am certainly not a fan. I didn't like it all.
The characters in the book weren't very likable, either as teens or adults. I don't have much compassion or care for people who are vandals and thieves. The adults are all narrow-minded and racist, all disliking anyone other than their own kind.
The writing and word choice are annoyingly repetitive. In one three-page chapter the word ostensibly was used three times.
I'm always looking for BIPOC authors to get a window into the thoughts and cultures different from my own. If you are looking for more about the Indian culture, skip this author and read Sonali Dev.
The characters in the book weren't very likable, either as teens or adults. I don't have much compassion or care for people who are vandals and thieves. The adults are all narrow-minded and racist, all disliking anyone other than their own kind.
The writing and word choice are annoyingly repetitive. In one three-page chapter the word ostensibly was used three times.
I'm always looking for BIPOC authors to get a window into the thoughts and cultures different from my own. If you are looking for more about the Indian culture, skip this author and read Sonali Dev.
May 4, 2022
Devi writes with heart and incredible attentiveness.
This coming of age story is emotive and relatable.
It conjures up many feelings and impressions all at once.
Grief. Recognition. Awe. Candor. Ambivalence.
It’s definitely one to add to your TBR especially because the writer is such a beautiful storyteller.
*thanks to Mariner books for my gifted copy
This coming of age story is emotive and relatable.
It conjures up many feelings and impressions all at once.
Grief. Recognition. Awe. Candor. Ambivalence.
It’s definitely one to add to your TBR especially because the writer is such a beautiful storyteller.
*thanks to Mariner books for my gifted copy
June 10, 2022
In reading Circa, I felt completely drawn in to Heera’s voice and experience, including the absolutely heartbreaking loss of her best friend, Marie. For any of us who’ve known this experience of having life broken by an unbearable loss, the kind that separates life into a before and after, this book touches the heart. Devi Laskar uses her gifts for poetic language and description, her insights into family relationships and the struggle to live in a world that wants to define you and limit you in so many ways (traditional ideas of duty and obligation, of what’s possible for a woman, of what it means to be an American whose parents still imaginatively live in the country they’ve left behind).
Marie, even in her brief time on the page, comes through as generous, lovable, adventurous, believable, and her brother Marco, who Heera’s obsessed with, is a great complicated character and the ways Heera romanticizes him feel both realistic to her age and exhilarating. (“Marco is the kind of boy who worships precision, the kind who, when asked to draw the night sky, enters Mr. Grimaldi’s unused library and looks in a worn atlas to put every star in every constellation in its proper place. He could recite Puck’s monologue from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the time he turned eleven. His appetite for the encyclopedia’s contents was so great, he mouthed the words when his voice grew hoarse from the recitations to the walls and the chairs and the empty rooms. He is that kind of boy, wasted on his parents, wasted on the neighborhood boys and their adventures riding through the woods on their bikes, and their makeshift kingdoms in the tree houses just beyond the reach of civilization. He is the child magician who is able to distract everyone and somehow convince them he really could swallow a bird and spit out a mouthful of coins.”)
Did I already mention how absolutely beautiful the writing is here? I wanted to read the whole thing aloud but was too caught up in the characters’ lives, and also the plot, which turned in several directions that really surprised me but that felt satisfying and revealing. It's a beautiful story of life after the breaking point. I’ll be turning this one over in my mind for a very long time.
Marie, even in her brief time on the page, comes through as generous, lovable, adventurous, believable, and her brother Marco, who Heera’s obsessed with, is a great complicated character and the ways Heera romanticizes him feel both realistic to her age and exhilarating. (“Marco is the kind of boy who worships precision, the kind who, when asked to draw the night sky, enters Mr. Grimaldi’s unused library and looks in a worn atlas to put every star in every constellation in its proper place. He could recite Puck’s monologue from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the time he turned eleven. His appetite for the encyclopedia’s contents was so great, he mouthed the words when his voice grew hoarse from the recitations to the walls and the chairs and the empty rooms. He is that kind of boy, wasted on his parents, wasted on the neighborhood boys and their adventures riding through the woods on their bikes, and their makeshift kingdoms in the tree houses just beyond the reach of civilization. He is the child magician who is able to distract everyone and somehow convince them he really could swallow a bird and spit out a mouthful of coins.”)
Did I already mention how absolutely beautiful the writing is here? I wanted to read the whole thing aloud but was too caught up in the characters’ lives, and also the plot, which turned in several directions that really surprised me but that felt satisfying and revealing. It's a beautiful story of life after the breaking point. I’ll be turning this one over in my mind for a very long time.
February 28, 2022
Lana Del Rey-esque Americana intros us to this prose novel. Colorful and sweet as a blue honeysuckle this teenage longing for triviality vs Hindi tradition. As smart and kind as her American friends/crush is, they are grafittists, thieves of everything from tourist wallets to designer heels. All towards saving to run away to NY.
When tragedy tears the friends and their lives apart, I’ve never heard grief so uniquely and perfectly described. Simple poetry in the Eastern style. Even in all the pulling sadness, there’s such a coziness, a realness to how parents seem so steeped in themselves and uncompromising as a teenager.
Not a perfect score because things can get a tad confusing with the abundance of relatives and quickened timelines. I was excited to read this is set in the 90s but there are barely any references to such except huge TV shows like The Brady Bunch that could be referenced as much now; this story could be set anywhere though obviously very much an Indian immigrant family story.
The middle of this book definitely drags as we go through the monotony of growing up: people going to school, getting depressed and/or married, family parties and forced gatherings. The characters become subtlety unlikable: words always biting, demanding, unnatural if not literally grief-crazy.
Thankfully, things soon kick into high-gear: affairs, fights, big-life events, mysteries about such mixed up with the first World Trade Center Attack. Interesting!
The boy she secretly loves is so cringey in a wannabe rockstar but actually bum-adjacent way, I root the whole time she’ll get a cute date w/ him and then come to her senses that an art school fantasy doesn’t age well beyond a month. In the end, lots of perfect parallels. The two are still childish but not terribly so—though the continued upsetting and neglect of their sick parents is baffling, obviously unpleasant.
The end is not bad but could have been more impactful if there was more conversation and deeper moments at the beginning of the book, a better sprinkled theme of the love for photography, to bring everything together, more circularly.
When tragedy tears the friends and their lives apart, I’ve never heard grief so uniquely and perfectly described. Simple poetry in the Eastern style. Even in all the pulling sadness, there’s such a coziness, a realness to how parents seem so steeped in themselves and uncompromising as a teenager.
Not a perfect score because things can get a tad confusing with the abundance of relatives and quickened timelines. I was excited to read this is set in the 90s but there are barely any references to such except huge TV shows like The Brady Bunch that could be referenced as much now; this story could be set anywhere though obviously very much an Indian immigrant family story.
The middle of this book definitely drags as we go through the monotony of growing up: people going to school, getting depressed and/or married, family parties and forced gatherings. The characters become subtlety unlikable: words always biting, demanding, unnatural if not literally grief-crazy.
Thankfully, things soon kick into high-gear: affairs, fights, big-life events, mysteries about such mixed up with the first World Trade Center Attack. Interesting!
The boy she secretly loves is so cringey in a wannabe rockstar but actually bum-adjacent way, I root the whole time she’ll get a cute date w/ him and then come to her senses that an art school fantasy doesn’t age well beyond a month. In the end, lots of perfect parallels. The two are still childish but not terribly so—though the continued upsetting and neglect of their sick parents is baffling, obviously unpleasant.
The end is not bad but could have been more impactful if there was more conversation and deeper moments at the beginning of the book, a better sprinkled theme of the love for photography, to bring everything together, more circularly.
December 27, 2024
I am infinitely grateful to have had the opportunity to have access to such an innovative book as Laskar's.
First of all, I highlight the way the novel is written in second person, breaking the structures we are used to when reading, because I think it brings the reader much further and creates more empathy and closeness to the voice of the protagonist. I think this idea of questioning someone else, but that it is in fact herself, allows for greater reflection, I think the author gives the impression of writing to herself to explain her own identity, not so much to the readers, but to herself as narrator, and that draws my attention.
I think it is very important the way Devi Laskar works with memory and the idea of forgetting and how both elements also affect the construction of identity and the present of the characters. For example, how Heera remembers some aspects of her life while choosing to forget others, thus structuring her own story in her own way. This idea of forgetting, for example, Marie's death, is also structured as a way of dealing with the trauma and protecting herself from the pain of remembering. And I think it's a very well-worked aspect of the novel.
I think the way the book handle the theme of loss and grief is very well done, that sense of hopelessness and not understanding, or maybe no one understands like you do, is very well conveyed in the story.
Another aspect that stands out in the reading of Circa is the way in which Heera reflects and thinks about her identity as a Hindu woman born in the United States, and how she tries to escape the stereotype and the ideas that tradition imposes on her about how a woman of her culture should be. In this sense, I think the novel opens up a space to reflect on the role of the immigrant woman in a culture very different from her own, and the difficulties of finding a voice, which Heera finally manages to find thanks to photographs.
First of all, I highlight the way the novel is written in second person, breaking the structures we are used to when reading, because I think it brings the reader much further and creates more empathy and closeness to the voice of the protagonist. I think this idea of questioning someone else, but that it is in fact herself, allows for greater reflection, I think the author gives the impression of writing to herself to explain her own identity, not so much to the readers, but to herself as narrator, and that draws my attention.
I think it is very important the way Devi Laskar works with memory and the idea of forgetting and how both elements also affect the construction of identity and the present of the characters. For example, how Heera remembers some aspects of her life while choosing to forget others, thus structuring her own story in her own way. This idea of forgetting, for example, Marie's death, is also structured as a way of dealing with the trauma and protecting herself from the pain of remembering. And I think it's a very well-worked aspect of the novel.
I think the way the book handle the theme of loss and grief is very well done, that sense of hopelessness and not understanding, or maybe no one understands like you do, is very well conveyed in the story.
Another aspect that stands out in the reading of Circa is the way in which Heera reflects and thinks about her identity as a Hindu woman born in the United States, and how she tries to escape the stereotype and the ideas that tradition imposes on her about how a woman of her culture should be. In this sense, I think the novel opens up a space to reflect on the role of the immigrant woman in a culture very different from her own, and the difficulties of finding a voice, which Heera finally manages to find thanks to photographs.
October 31, 2021
I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly, this is not normally a genre or style of book that I would read and I am very glad that I explored this story. It was one emotional, moving, raw rollercoaster of a read that packs in a punch in the short 194 pages that it holds. The journey that Laskar takes you on, through Heera and Crash, is one that took me completely by surprise at how poignant and confronting it is. I feel this book speaks strongly to Desi women around the world who grapple with familial and societal expectations that often view their dreams and aspirations as null and void. Throughout the book you see Heera (and Crash) facing the echoes of consequences from one mistake that occurs as a spark of rebellion. As a reader I often found myself feeling frustrated at the choices Heera is forced to make as a result of her error and how little time she is given to come to terms with her life, emotionally particularly, after this incident. I would like to applaud Laskar for not shying away from portraying a starkly grim reality of the battle many South Asian women face in their daily lives from those who are supposed to provide them with comfort, belief and a sense of empowerment. Whilst this was at times a difficult read to process, I found that it made me think, it made me question and it made me understand in ways that I might not have otherwise. Look out for this wonderful book releasing 3 May 2022!
Firstly, this is not normally a genre or style of book that I would read and I am very glad that I explored this story. It was one emotional, moving, raw rollercoaster of a read that packs in a punch in the short 194 pages that it holds. The journey that Laskar takes you on, through Heera and Crash, is one that took me completely by surprise at how poignant and confronting it is. I feel this book speaks strongly to Desi women around the world who grapple with familial and societal expectations that often view their dreams and aspirations as null and void. Throughout the book you see Heera (and Crash) facing the echoes of consequences from one mistake that occurs as a spark of rebellion. As a reader I often found myself feeling frustrated at the choices Heera is forced to make as a result of her error and how little time she is given to come to terms with her life, emotionally particularly, after this incident. I would like to applaud Laskar for not shying away from portraying a starkly grim reality of the battle many South Asian women face in their daily lives from those who are supposed to provide them with comfort, belief and a sense of empowerment. Whilst this was at times a difficult read to process, I found that it made me think, it made me question and it made me understand in ways that I might not have otherwise. Look out for this wonderful book releasing 3 May 2022!
August 29, 2022
This book is trying way too hard. It wants to be “Deep,” “Thought-Provoking” and “Important” with language that is “Beautiful” and “Poetic” and “Moving.” Instead, it comes off as pretentious—from its second person present point of view to the way it privileges language over both character and story all the way to the end. Don’t get me wrong. I love beautiful language—Coates’ The Water Dancer was gorgeous!—but language must serve the story and develop the characters. Here it feels vice versa with descriptions that do nothing but exercise Laskar’s vocabulary while characters remain a mystery and the plot jumps around, often seemingly without purpose.
Indian-American Heera is involved in a tragic traffic crash with her best friends Marie & Marco. The trauma echoes throughout her life—mostly. Is the book exploring generational conflict in immigrant families? Then why is there no glimpse into Heera’s feelings about the choices her parents make for her after high school? Is it about the destructive spiral trauma can set into motion? Then why are Heera and Marco vandalizing property, pickpocketing, and shoplifting well before the tragedy—and with apparently no real motivation? Is it supposed to be a story about Heera coming of age? She doesn’t seem to change. About Heera’s supposed connection to Marco (renamed Crash)—a tepid one that she rarely pursues and he generally ignores? I can’t tell.
I found the whole book thoroughly obnoxious and difficult to finish. If it had been longer, I probably wouldn’t have read to the end.
Indian-American Heera is involved in a tragic traffic crash with her best friends Marie & Marco. The trauma echoes throughout her life—mostly. Is the book exploring generational conflict in immigrant families? Then why is there no glimpse into Heera’s feelings about the choices her parents make for her after high school? Is it about the destructive spiral trauma can set into motion? Then why are Heera and Marco vandalizing property, pickpocketing, and shoplifting well before the tragedy—and with apparently no real motivation? Is it supposed to be a story about Heera coming of age? She doesn’t seem to change. About Heera’s supposed connection to Marco (renamed Crash)—a tepid one that she rarely pursues and he generally ignores? I can’t tell.
I found the whole book thoroughly obnoxious and difficult to finish. If it had been longer, I probably wouldn’t have read to the end.
June 27, 2022
From the very first paragraph, this work is forceful. Its narrative style is incredibly aggressive, demanding that the reader be introspective and attentive: chapters are short, zappy and we quickly understand our protagonist. The second-person narration took a long time to get use to, but once I had settled into the book I enjoyed feeling the sense of confidence and self-assuredness of the narrator - as they told me how I felt, reacted and what I needed. This could have become incredibly annoying, and at times it was frustrating to have been given such little trust by the author, but I think it is warranted when the protagonist is Indian American and the book centers around the intricacies of that experience. Laskar guides us through her lived experience using this narration style.
Loss is also a large component of the work and I think this book does a good job conveying the aching, longing that we feel to those who have passed; an unquenchable thirst.
The ending was the most disappointing part of this book for me, it felt rushed and careless. Characters suddenly changed without any explanation, themes - like loyalty - suddenly disappeared from the page, and key relationships are left in ambiguity. I think Laskar tries to do this to empower the reader to imagine our own reading, but when for the entirety of the book we have not been given the freedom to imagine, it seems like an easy out.
Loss is also a large component of the work and I think this book does a good job conveying the aching, longing that we feel to those who have passed; an unquenchable thirst.
The ending was the most disappointing part of this book for me, it felt rushed and careless. Characters suddenly changed without any explanation, themes - like loyalty - suddenly disappeared from the page, and key relationships are left in ambiguity. I think Laskar tries to do this to empower the reader to imagine our own reading, but when for the entirety of the book we have not been given the freedom to imagine, it seems like an easy out.
October 8, 2023
This is the first book I've read for one of my master's courses that I actually really, truly enjoyed. Not just respected, but enjoyed.
It's not my favorite book I've ever read. I'm pretty averse to giving five star ratings, especially when I'm not as emotionally attached to it as my other five star rated books. However, I truly can't pinpoint much that I dislike about this book. Really, I don't think I would change a thing about it. I'm a sucker for coming-of-age stories, and this one is told deftly in a way that felt real.
I was pleasantly surprised by the ending of the book. Going into it, I was expecting a much different kind of story than what I got. As is, it's a story of love and loss, of being in between spaces and taking a first step for yourself instead of living for others. It's a hard journey to get through, but it's never boring.
As usual, I am bad at filling out reviews of books that I enjoy. I'm not the kind of person to summarize the books I read in reviews, and I am not great at pointing out craft things that are done well. It's a bit counterintuitive to do. If I am truly enjoying what I'm reading, I am finally free from thinking about craft. Instead, I can just feel the narrative. If a book can do that, it deserves the five star rating.
It's not my favorite book I've ever read. I'm pretty averse to giving five star ratings, especially when I'm not as emotionally attached to it as my other five star rated books. However, I truly can't pinpoint much that I dislike about this book. Really, I don't think I would change a thing about it. I'm a sucker for coming-of-age stories, and this one is told deftly in a way that felt real.
I was pleasantly surprised by the ending of the book. Going into it, I was expecting a much different kind of story than what I got. As is, it's a story of love and loss, of being in between spaces and taking a first step for yourself instead of living for others. It's a hard journey to get through, but it's never boring.
As usual, I am bad at filling out reviews of books that I enjoy. I'm not the kind of person to summarize the books I read in reviews, and I am not great at pointing out craft things that are done well. It's a bit counterintuitive to do. If I am truly enjoying what I'm reading, I am finally free from thinking about craft. Instead, I can just feel the narrative. If a book can do that, it deserves the five star rating.
December 26, 2023
i feel like this wanted to be more profound/smarter than it was?
i did really appreciate some of the plot lines (the arranged marriage, the disappearance), but there was so much happening in such a short book that i didn’t feel like the emotional fallout of any of the major incidents was ever really explored in depth. i didn’t mind the 2nd person pov but i wonder if it also diminished the emotional impact?
i never felt super connected to or invested in the characters. they felt kind of flat & their relationships didn’t make a ton of sense to me — especially the star-crossed long lost lovers arc, it felt forced & i didn’t really feel any of their chemistry or connection. there were some interesting things to explore in most of the characters (traditional gender roles, different immigrant family dynamics, grief/loss, views on marriage), but that would definitely need to happen off the page. maybe this would be better as a book club book to really read between the lines/pick apart?
my overall feelings are mixed, leaning ever so slightly towards positive because of the interesting themes. it was really giving tumblr john green a là paper towns & looking for alaska, but didn’t seem to reach its full potential
i did really appreciate some of the plot lines (the arranged marriage, the disappearance), but there was so much happening in such a short book that i didn’t feel like the emotional fallout of any of the major incidents was ever really explored in depth. i didn’t mind the 2nd person pov but i wonder if it also diminished the emotional impact?
i never felt super connected to or invested in the characters. they felt kind of flat & their relationships didn’t make a ton of sense to me — especially the star-crossed long lost lovers arc, it felt forced & i didn’t really feel any of their chemistry or connection. there were some interesting things to explore in most of the characters (traditional gender roles, different immigrant family dynamics, grief/loss, views on marriage), but that would definitely need to happen off the page. maybe this would be better as a book club book to really read between the lines/pick apart?
my overall feelings are mixed, leaning ever so slightly towards positive because of the interesting themes. it was really giving tumblr john green a là paper towns & looking for alaska, but didn’t seem to reach its full potential
July 19, 2022
Oh, this book really packs a punch. The story deals with a a lot of grief, loss and the need to be seen and understood.
This story follows Heera, an Indian American, through her life and relationship with the Grimaldi siblings, Marie and Marco. In her teens, Heera spent alot of her time with them getting up to all sorts of mischief despite her strict upbringing until one fateful night changed everything. Over night, she lost a best friend, she lost herself and she suddenly doesn’t know what to do with her life. Here’s dream to go to college doesn’t seem to matter anymore. As Heera walked into adulthood, she keeps crossing paths with Marco which brought back her dreams and desires of when she was a teen.
As much as this story deals with loss, it also shows Heera battling with her own dreams vs her parents’ desires. She tries to rebel against her parents but at what cost? As an Asian who grew up in America, she was caught between the generation and cultural differences her parents brought her up in. On top of all this, Heera had to learn to grapple with loss. I loved how the author portrayed her grief and how it affected them in different parts of her lives.
Marco on the other hand would probably lead a different life had that night never happened. Instead, he turned into this sullen bad boy persona. I didn’t particularly enjoy the romance between these two maybe because Heera had the ‘I can change him’ attitude in mind. I wished there were more focus on Heera and her parents’ relationship and her friendship with Marco in a platonic sense.
What I did love was how Heera eventually took control of her life and live the life she wanted without having to worry too much about what others think of her.
Thank you Netgalley and Mariner Books for the arc.
This story follows Heera, an Indian American, through her life and relationship with the Grimaldi siblings, Marie and Marco. In her teens, Heera spent alot of her time with them getting up to all sorts of mischief despite her strict upbringing until one fateful night changed everything. Over night, she lost a best friend, she lost herself and she suddenly doesn’t know what to do with her life. Here’s dream to go to college doesn’t seem to matter anymore. As Heera walked into adulthood, she keeps crossing paths with Marco which brought back her dreams and desires of when she was a teen.
As much as this story deals with loss, it also shows Heera battling with her own dreams vs her parents’ desires. She tries to rebel against her parents but at what cost? As an Asian who grew up in America, she was caught between the generation and cultural differences her parents brought her up in. On top of all this, Heera had to learn to grapple with loss. I loved how the author portrayed her grief and how it affected them in different parts of her lives.
Marco on the other hand would probably lead a different life had that night never happened. Instead, he turned into this sullen bad boy persona. I didn’t particularly enjoy the romance between these two maybe because Heera had the ‘I can change him’ attitude in mind. I wished there were more focus on Heera and her parents’ relationship and her friendship with Marco in a platonic sense.
What I did love was how Heera eventually took control of her life and live the life she wanted without having to worry too much about what others think of her.
Thank you Netgalley and Mariner Books for the arc.
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