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The Most Precious Substance on Earth
Journey Prize winner Shashi Bhat’s "powerful, surprising and terrifying" (Rufi Thorpe) story about a high school student's traumatic experience and how it irrevocably alters her life, for fans of 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, Girlhood, and Pen15. Bright, hilarious, and sensitive fourteen-year-old Nina spends her spare time reading Beowulf and flirting with an internet predator. She has a vicious crush on her English teacher, and her best friend Amy is slowly drifting away. Meanwhile, Nina’s mother tries to match her up with local Indian boys unfamiliar with her Saved by the Bell references, and Nina’s worried father has started reciting Hindu prayers outside her bedroom door. Beginning with a disturbing incident at her high school, The Most Precious Substance on Earth tells stories of Nina’s life from the ‘90s to present day, when she returns to the classroom as a high school teacher with a haunting secret and discovers that the past is never far behind her. Darkly funny, deeply affecting, unsettling, and at times even shocking, Shashi Bhat’s irresistible novel-in-stories examines the relationships between those who take and those who have something taken. The Most Precious Substance on Earth is a sharp-edged and devastating look at how women are conditioned to hide their trauma and suppress their fear, loneliness, and anger, and an unforgettable portrait of how silence can shape a life.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 24, 2021
78 people are currently reading
8113 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
July 4, 2022
All the 90s nostalgia plus all the feels. Beautiful coming of age story. One that is hard to put down. Really pulls you in from the beginning. I enjoyed this for sure. Love a good coming of age story!
August 24, 2021
I was invested in reading Nina’s story arc. This book starts out pretty light and funny, but it gets a lot more serious and offers some stark realities by the end of it.
CW: rape.
It’s the nineties and Nina is a ninth grade student in Halifax, Canada. She has a vivid imagination and often plays out various scenarios in her head of how she hopes things will turn out. - they usually don’t end the way she imagines. She has a big crush on her teacher. Nina and her best friend, Amy coordinate their schedules together. Nina’s parents try to set her up with local Indian boys who don’t get her pop culture references or interest in Satanic cults. When a traumatic incident happens at school Nina mentions it to no one. This incident changes Nina and has long-lasting mental health consequences that she will struggle with well into her adult years.
Nina is a fully fleshed out character. She tends to hide her feelings and emotions until they rip her apart.
I loved her parents, they ultimately want her to marry a nice man, but they are a great support system for her and love her unconditionally. The pop culture references references were a nice touch. There’s everything from Gilmore Girls to Pretty Little Liars to Canadian favourite, Tim Hortons sprinkled throughout.
This an extremely well-written novel. I was hooked from the first sentence. Although it is a little depressing, so if books affect your mood, maybe save it for when you can manage it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
CW: rape.
It’s the nineties and Nina is a ninth grade student in Halifax, Canada. She has a vivid imagination and often plays out various scenarios in her head of how she hopes things will turn out. - they usually don’t end the way she imagines. She has a big crush on her teacher. Nina and her best friend, Amy coordinate their schedules together. Nina’s parents try to set her up with local Indian boys who don’t get her pop culture references or interest in Satanic cults. When a traumatic incident happens at school Nina mentions it to no one. This incident changes Nina and has long-lasting mental health consequences that she will struggle with well into her adult years.
Nina is a fully fleshed out character. She tends to hide her feelings and emotions until they rip her apart.
I loved her parents, they ultimately want her to marry a nice man, but they are a great support system for her and love her unconditionally. The pop culture references references were a nice touch. There’s everything from Gilmore Girls to Pretty Little Liars to Canadian favourite, Tim Hortons sprinkled throughout.
This an extremely well-written novel. I was hooked from the first sentence. Although it is a little depressing, so if books affect your mood, maybe save it for when you can manage it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
October 29, 2021
The Most Precious Substance On Earth by Shashi Bhat is a very character-driven coming of age story.
Set in the 90's, Nina is a young South Asian teenager growing up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. There is an incident in high school that Nina won't speak of but it changes the course of her life.
Friendship, family dynamics, teacher/student relationships and much more are explored within the story.
The setting was beautiful and I enjoyed all of the 90's pop culture references.
Nina's parents made the story for me. They were quirky, funny and full of love.
I look forward to more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/McClelland & Stewart for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Set in the 90's, Nina is a young South Asian teenager growing up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. There is an incident in high school that Nina won't speak of but it changes the course of her life.
Friendship, family dynamics, teacher/student relationships and much more are explored within the story.
The setting was beautiful and I enjoyed all of the 90's pop culture references.
Nina's parents made the story for me. They were quirky, funny and full of love.
I look forward to more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/McClelland & Stewart for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
January 17, 2022
five stars, and heartstopping, not in the way other books on this shelf are, not in the way i meant heartstopping in my 20s, when i was drunk on fresh words and insights, roiling with potential, but heartstopping in the way of being known, being seen, being felt, feeling yourself on the page, the lump in your throat not because this is new but because it is familiar.
more tomorrow, but i guess all i'll say now is: if you're a woman; if you were in high school around y2k; if you have ever taught high school; please read this.
--
okay i am back but i'll keep it brief:
Among many other things -- a phenomenal Canadian-Y2K-adolescence time capsule, a celebration of Indian culture outside of India, a brightly important addition to the conversation about sexual power and abuse, a nuanced and honest portrayal of millennial adulthood -- this is the best media representation of high school I've ever encountered.
That is: the best of all of it. Being a teenager and hating class but also falling in love with constructed facsimiles of your teachers. The pain (in this case, very deep) of realizing those facsimiles are real. Hazy, half-educational overnight trips to bigger cities (I can't express how realistic the Toronto band trip is --- absolutely spot the fuck on, like so much of this book). Obsessive friendship and the cycles of its loss.
And being in front of a classroom and hating yourself but also falling in love with constructed facsimiles of your students you're trying to convince yourself are real. The absolute pain when a class is just silent; the hard truth that a magic class is one of the best feelings you'll ever experience but that it also has nothing to do with you, is sheer luck. Second guessing everything, trying to protect everyone. The incessant drive for external validation, primarily from teenagers who can only validate what you represent to them. The grind, the unbelievable consumptive grind, of constant work that if you haven't taught, you frankly just can't understand. And so much more, just so much more, it almost hurts ---
I've typed this paragraph a few times and I just can't get to the point so --- the passages, the sections, where Nina is debating leaving teaching and then decides to go ---- I lived all of it, and I've never seen it expressed more truly and more devastatingly. Teaching is an impossible profession, and it is also the reason for many of the most alive moments of my life. I have lost all perspective on whether I was a good or bad teacher, if I ever had any, but I would not trade the experience of teaching high school for anything. And I would never go back.
Substance captures all this teaching and learning and schooling -- from the entire spectrum -- from the subtly changing voice of a girl growing up. My bias is pretty glaring, I realize, but I'll repeat pretty firmly that I've never encountered anything that's hit so firmly home before, in all the high school nostalgia media we all consume so frequently.
Whatever you feel or think about the book or the author: just don't doubt its realism, and don't doubt that Shashi Bhat is a fucking talent to have been able to capture it so gracefully.
more tomorrow, but i guess all i'll say now is: if you're a woman; if you were in high school around y2k; if you have ever taught high school; please read this.
--
okay i am back but i'll keep it brief:
Among many other things -- a phenomenal Canadian-Y2K-adolescence time capsule, a celebration of Indian culture outside of India, a brightly important addition to the conversation about sexual power and abuse, a nuanced and honest portrayal of millennial adulthood -- this is the best media representation of high school I've ever encountered.
That is: the best of all of it. Being a teenager and hating class but also falling in love with constructed facsimiles of your teachers. The pain (in this case, very deep) of realizing those facsimiles are real. Hazy, half-educational overnight trips to bigger cities (I can't express how realistic the Toronto band trip is --- absolutely spot the fuck on, like so much of this book). Obsessive friendship and the cycles of its loss.
And being in front of a classroom and hating yourself but also falling in love with constructed facsimiles of your students you're trying to convince yourself are real. The absolute pain when a class is just silent; the hard truth that a magic class is one of the best feelings you'll ever experience but that it also has nothing to do with you, is sheer luck. Second guessing everything, trying to protect everyone. The incessant drive for external validation, primarily from teenagers who can only validate what you represent to them. The grind, the unbelievable consumptive grind, of constant work that if you haven't taught, you frankly just can't understand. And so much more, just so much more, it almost hurts ---
I've typed this paragraph a few times and I just can't get to the point so --- the passages, the sections, where Nina is debating leaving teaching and then decides to go ---- I lived all of it, and I've never seen it expressed more truly and more devastatingly. Teaching is an impossible profession, and it is also the reason for many of the most alive moments of my life. I have lost all perspective on whether I was a good or bad teacher, if I ever had any, but I would not trade the experience of teaching high school for anything. And I would never go back.
Substance captures all this teaching and learning and schooling -- from the entire spectrum -- from the subtly changing voice of a girl growing up. My bias is pretty glaring, I realize, but I'll repeat pretty firmly that I've never encountered anything that's hit so firmly home before, in all the high school nostalgia media we all consume so frequently.
Whatever you feel or think about the book or the author: just don't doubt its realism, and don't doubt that Shashi Bhat is a fucking talent to have been able to capture it so gracefully.
November 4, 2021
This book is written in a stream of consciousness from the point of view of an Indian female (not sure if that's pc these days) living in Halifax, Canada, from the time she's about 14 until she's in her 30s. I felt like I was reading her private journal. Parts of the book were humorous and parts were heartbreaking but it was all captivating to me. I really liked the character of Nina and her habit of daydreaming of the amazing things that were sure to come her way but of course "that didn't happen" as she's fond of saying. Many references to 90s fads, tv shows, music, etc., which rang so many bells as my daughter was growing up during that time. Still, I could also relate to so many of her thoughts from when I was young, like how Prince Charles would be smitten if we could only meet! I also liked Nina's parents even though they seemed pretty oblivious to what was going on in their daughter's life. I wish some sections could've been fleshed out more but I guess that's part of the charm of this book.
This book is classed as young adult but I don't really think it fits neatly into any specific genre. Definitely a coming of age story but adults could learn something important from reading this as well. To be honest I'm not sure I understand what the title refers to; is it silence, something more esoteric or something simpler??
I wish to express my appreciation to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for access to an ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
This book is classed as young adult but I don't really think it fits neatly into any specific genre. Definitely a coming of age story but adults could learn something important from reading this as well. To be honest I'm not sure I understand what the title refers to; is it silence, something more esoteric or something simpler??
I wish to express my appreciation to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for access to an ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
August 9, 2021
Wow. The protagonist of this phenomenal story feels so real and relatable. As a person who grew up in Canada in the 90's this book was filled with nostalgia and eerie parallels to my own life. Filled with references I'm so surprised anyone else knows, it feels like we have inside jokes now.
This is one of those rare times; rather than take you away from your life, Shashi Bhat creates a narrative that is so much like real life it's poignant, honest and raw. I can't wait to read it again.
This is one of those rare times; rather than take you away from your life, Shashi Bhat creates a narrative that is so much like real life it's poignant, honest and raw. I can't wait to read it again.
September 1, 2021
This novel was really hard to read - and not because of the sexual assault. The sexual assault happens off-page, and is barely even thought about, not to mention spoken about. What was hard to read in this novel was the panic that Nina had, though she never thinks too hard on why she panics around men, and her relationship with her parents. She is the child of immigrants, I am the child of immigrants. She moved back home after university, I moved back home after university.
A non-comprehensive list of moments that made the inside of my body, my actual literally heart and soul, flinch: Nina thinking to herself "I was born here" when someone calls her exotic; later in the novel when she thinks about how one day she crossed over the threshold from child to caregiver; how she forced herself to fit into two separate identities and how either fit perfectly; her ennui in almost every iteration of her career.
If you are looking for a novel with a plot, this is not the one for you. If you are looking for a book about sexual assault re: student/teacher that has a plot, may I suggest Rules for Being a Girl? Precious Substance is more a character study on Nina, and how the one moment of staying quiet about her assault at age 14 affects her life going forward.
Thank you to NetGalley and McClelland & Stewart for sending me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
A non-comprehensive list of moments that made the inside of my body, my actual literally heart and soul, flinch: Nina thinking to herself "I was born here" when someone calls her exotic; later in the novel when she thinks about how one day she crossed over the threshold from child to caregiver; how she forced herself to fit into two separate identities and how either fit perfectly; her ennui in almost every iteration of her career.
If you are looking for a novel with a plot, this is not the one for you. If you are looking for a book about sexual assault re: student/teacher that has a plot, may I suggest Rules for Being a Girl? Precious Substance is more a character study on Nina, and how the one moment of staying quiet about her assault at age 14 affects her life going forward.
Thank you to NetGalley and McClelland & Stewart for sending me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 12, 2023
The first half was so promising and got me completely hooked and then the second half just lost me. I think I would’ve liked more plot, or at least more character development, but the lack of both made most of this book so boring. By the end I was just tired of hearing the protagonist’s thoughts.
January 22, 2023
A book that’s well written but becomes a little tedious by the end
August 25, 2021
2.5 STARS - The Most Precious Substance on Earth is told in short vignettes that focus on different times in the life of Nina, a young woman of South Asian descent who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Through these brief scenes, the reader sees snapshots from Nina's life beginning when she's an awkward 14-year-old and progressing into her 30's.
The first thing I noticed about this book was how Bhat creates a wonderful nostalgia for anyone (particularly Canadians) who grew up in the late 80's and early 90's. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the eras and the pop culture and Canadian references.
But this is not a light and fluffy story and readers are soon introduced to complex and emotional (possibly triggering) topics. These make for a good pick for book club discussion, but this character-driven series of vignettes wasn't a good fit for me. As a person who enjoys a faster paced story with a clear plot and who isn't a fan of short stories, this book lacked a sense of urgency, and I didn't enjoy the disjointed feel. I felt disconnected with Nina but enjoyed the levity her parents brought to the story as they supported their daughter.
Please note that even though this wasn't a good pick for my reading tastes, it is being well received by many other reviewers. It is a thought-provoking read and while I enjoyed the Canadian/pop culture references and could appreciate this bleak story filled with trauma and struggles, I didn't feel drawn into Nina's life and struggled to finish this book.
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to McClelland and Stewart publishers for providing me with a complimentary digital advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.
July 2, 2022
Dark humor blends with a tragic loss of innocence and one young woman's struggle to find her place in this world. As a writer and former teacher, I identified with many of Nina's experiences and found Ms. Bhat's crisp, candid writing style a perfect contrast to Nina's restlessness and loneliness. 90s references prevail and Nina's parents enrich this powerful new adult narrative.
August 30, 2021
I had some mixed feelings with this book. I wanted to love it soo much but I wasn't the biggest fan of the narrative style or the way the story felt disjointed by jumping forward in time without resolving things until the very end. It was a stylistic choice I just didn't love.
Things I did love:
-The beautiful cover!
-ALL the pop culture references - Nina is able to relate most things in her life back to some 90s or early 2000s tv show (from Fraggle Rock, Dawson's Creek, Saved by the Bell, the Gilmore Girls, Pretty little liars, Being Erica, etc.)
-the diverse main character and all the South Asian culture amidst uber white Halifax
-the very relatable burnout and career dissatisfaction and her misadventures as a high school teacher
-online dating woes
Overall I did enjoy it but there were definitely places I thought the story lagged and I found myself drifting off. I wanted the underage sexual abuse to be taken more seriously but also realize that was the point. Much thanks to @Libro.fm for my ALC!
CW: sexual abuse of a minor, teenage eating disorder
Things I did love:
-The beautiful cover!
-ALL the pop culture references - Nina is able to relate most things in her life back to some 90s or early 2000s tv show (from Fraggle Rock, Dawson's Creek, Saved by the Bell, the Gilmore Girls, Pretty little liars, Being Erica, etc.)
-the diverse main character and all the South Asian culture amidst uber white Halifax
-the very relatable burnout and career dissatisfaction and her misadventures as a high school teacher
-online dating woes
Overall I did enjoy it but there were definitely places I thought the story lagged and I found myself drifting off. I wanted the underage sexual abuse to be taken more seriously but also realize that was the point. Much thanks to @Libro.fm for my ALC!
CW: sexual abuse of a minor, teenage eating disorder
May 3, 2022
I wanted to like this book.
“Every memory you have is only a memory of the last time you remembered it. Our pasts are just broken telephone messages we transmit to ourselves” (250).
Nina’s story is honest and raw. She has very vivid memories of high school— the openness and silliness of teenagers, mixed with angst and mistakes that stick with you in unexpected ways. As Nina grows up, her silliness solidifies into snarky adult humor. All of this felt very honest and real, including her confused and silent response to being assaulted by her teacher. I was rooting for Nina. I really, really wanted to like this story.
The novel itself was choppy. Some moments seemed pointlessly long and drawn out, while others were entirely skipped over. Overall, it reads like a draft. Unfinished. The ending didn’t even feel like an ending, just a random place to stop writing.
This story has potential, but it didn’t really speak to me in any significant way.
“Every memory you have is only a memory of the last time you remembered it. Our pasts are just broken telephone messages we transmit to ourselves” (250).
Nina’s story is honest and raw. She has very vivid memories of high school— the openness and silliness of teenagers, mixed with angst and mistakes that stick with you in unexpected ways. As Nina grows up, her silliness solidifies into snarky adult humor. All of this felt very honest and real, including her confused and silent response to being assaulted by her teacher. I was rooting for Nina. I really, really wanted to like this story.
The novel itself was choppy. Some moments seemed pointlessly long and drawn out, while others were entirely skipped over. Overall, it reads like a draft. Unfinished. The ending didn’t even feel like an ending, just a random place to stop writing.
This story has potential, but it didn’t really speak to me in any significant way.
January 29, 2026
I found this book to be very scattered. Almost felt unfinished. This could be because I read the arc, but it was hard to follow along and get drawn in because I felt like the "mood" was constantly changing. The beginning of the story drew me in, but I felt like a lot of it ended up being just a description of random events or conversations that to me didn't lead to anything. In the end, I have no idea who Nina is or what she is really feeling. I felt like I read everything from inside her head but yet there was no real substance. And even when I thought a scene might actually lead to something it didn't. Not my favourite.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.
November 18, 2021
I started this book really wanting to like it.. I liked that the setting was in Canada on the East Coast and I liked that the main character was Indian and I was provided with a view into a cultural that is different from mine, but the story just didn't hold my attention. I did finish the book but it took effort and as a reader that isn't something I often experience. It was missing something for me, I just didn't connect to the characters as I usually do and the ending made me question even what the point of the story was? This is not one I will be recommending.
August 2, 2021
A coming of age story, The Most Precious Substance on Earth tells the story of Nina from the age of fourteen to her mid-thirties as she treads through school, being the sole daughter of Indian parents, through living independently, teaching and online dating.
Nina and her best friend Amy both experience traumas in their teens and the reader sees two ways that trauma can manifest itself throughout life. We see how the developing brains of teens can be forever changed by the actions of another.
This is not an easy story, nor is it a particularly happy one. A couple chapters in I had to put it down for a bit as I had such a sense of dis-ease. With that said, there were moments of inspiration and lightness that added a needed balm to the story.
The detailed writing created very distinct images of the moments. The pop culture and literary references that were dropped in here and there were fun and many. The character of Nina was sharp-I felt like I would recognize her at the coffee shop.
I look forward to reading more by this author and encourage everyone to pick this book up.
Thank you to @netgalley and @McClellandStewart / @PenguinRandomCa for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Most Precious Substance on Earth comes out August 24, 2021.
Nina and her best friend Amy both experience traumas in their teens and the reader sees two ways that trauma can manifest itself throughout life. We see how the developing brains of teens can be forever changed by the actions of another.
This is not an easy story, nor is it a particularly happy one. A couple chapters in I had to put it down for a bit as I had such a sense of dis-ease. With that said, there were moments of inspiration and lightness that added a needed balm to the story.
The detailed writing created very distinct images of the moments. The pop culture and literary references that were dropped in here and there were fun and many. The character of Nina was sharp-I felt like I would recognize her at the coffee shop.
I look forward to reading more by this author and encourage everyone to pick this book up.
Thank you to @netgalley and @McClellandStewart / @PenguinRandomCa for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Most Precious Substance on Earth comes out August 24, 2021.
September 13, 2021
Nina is an ordinary girl. She could be you, she could be me. We get to read vignettes of her life throughout The Most Beautiful Substance on Earth. This book gripped me from the first chapter. The language flows really well, and I found the book really hard to put down. Even though my life is very different from Nina's I found myself in her words, and I could relate to her in her every experience. I could feel her sadness, her yearning, her need to please, her need to find her own way. It was just beautifully executed overall, I will definitely be reading from this author again.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2022
So not for me. Every story is incomplete and unfinished. No self awareness. Confusing story lines. No story lines. Dangerous situations. Dark “humour”. Gross vibes. Dnf. Relieved to put it back in library chute.
December 14, 2021
Nina is a charming narrator with an enticing blend of vulnerability and wit. Her recollections of growing up in the late 90s/early aughts in Canada were viscerally familiar to me, as were the uncomfortable writing workshop scenes in her college years. The specificity and pacing made for quick reading, but Nina and the story both have a lasting impression. A great read for people who like poignant coming-of-age stories.
December 31, 2022
The narrative has a strong beginning but quickly devolves into a smattering of vignettes rather than a fully thought-out novel. There were parts that were beautifully written but the author would have benefitted from a substantive edit.
July 26, 2022
This book had so much potential and the first few chapters had SO many interesting ideas but then those ideas would just… end. the pacing was weird, the story was jumpy, a lot of plot points never found their resolve and i was just overall disappointed because it looked and sounded SO good
January 22, 2022
TW// sexual assault
i really loved this. nina felt like a friend and her inner monologue was easy to follow and so relatable. i’m grateful for the author choosing to not to depict the assault and focusing on how deeply this event affected nina. her loneliness and inability to form long-lasting connections to the people around her struck a chord. the scenes with her mom and the female indian student (forgot her name) that her parents are hosting were so heart wrenching because the reader is made to understand how much nina longs for a closer, more satisfying relationship with her parents, and how she fails to be the perfect indian daughter. the pop culture references felt natural and so canadian and i think bhatt did an excellent job of describing the rootlessness that a lot of second-gen kids feel. i loved the way all of the traumatic experiences she had in high school were magnified by her choosing to become a teacher and abandoning her post-grad lit program. nina’s unprocessed grief and rage makes it hard for her to be truly open in her writing and her dropping out just exemplifies how stuck in the past she is and i thought the author presented this inner turmoil in such a beautiful way. the best part about this book, to me, was the way in which nina’s profession as a high school teacher was influenced by her own teenage experiences. the responsibility of making a positive impact on her kids eats away at her because of how her own life was derailed by a predatory adult. nina’s problems felt so real and layered, and bhatt makes it clear that the things that happen to us never really leave us, no matter how much we want them to. i really loved this book, and i think nina is the only character i’ve ever related to.
i really loved this. nina felt like a friend and her inner monologue was easy to follow and so relatable. i’m grateful for the author choosing to not to depict the assault and focusing on how deeply this event affected nina. her loneliness and inability to form long-lasting connections to the people around her struck a chord. the scenes with her mom and the female indian student (forgot her name) that her parents are hosting were so heart wrenching because the reader is made to understand how much nina longs for a closer, more satisfying relationship with her parents, and how she fails to be the perfect indian daughter. the pop culture references felt natural and so canadian and i think bhatt did an excellent job of describing the rootlessness that a lot of second-gen kids feel. i loved the way all of the traumatic experiences she had in high school were magnified by her choosing to become a teacher and abandoning her post-grad lit program. nina’s unprocessed grief and rage makes it hard for her to be truly open in her writing and her dropping out just exemplifies how stuck in the past she is and i thought the author presented this inner turmoil in such a beautiful way. the best part about this book, to me, was the way in which nina’s profession as a high school teacher was influenced by her own teenage experiences. the responsibility of making a positive impact on her kids eats away at her because of how her own life was derailed by a predatory adult. nina’s problems felt so real and layered, and bhatt makes it clear that the things that happen to us never really leave us, no matter how much we want them to. i really loved this book, and i think nina is the only character i’ve ever related to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2021
This book was absolutely fantastic. It surpasses my (once) favourite book Normal People just enough to make it stand out among all other books I’ve read.
Shashi Bhat’s syntax is incredible and flows nicely on the paper. There were no moments while I was reading where I had to back track because of difficult sentence structure. The story flows nicely but still has a sense of complexity that provides us with Bhat’s own unique writing voice.
I think this book is a powerful statement for SA survivors around the world. It covers the experience of Nina from a youthful teen in highschool recovering from a non-consentual interaction with an older man, to an adult trying to make her way through her career as a teacher. The narrative’s tone changes as things happen. It is joyful and comedic in moments where appropriate, but still allows for meaningful and heartfelt emotions to come out when needed. The story is paced nicely and the relationship it builds between the reader and Nina is something I have never experienced before.
Even better - Shashi is a Canadian author!! What a feat for Canadian writers!!
Give this a read. You won’t regret it.
5/5
Shashi Bhat’s syntax is incredible and flows nicely on the paper. There were no moments while I was reading where I had to back track because of difficult sentence structure. The story flows nicely but still has a sense of complexity that provides us with Bhat’s own unique writing voice.
I think this book is a powerful statement for SA survivors around the world. It covers the experience of Nina from a youthful teen in highschool recovering from a non-consentual interaction with an older man, to an adult trying to make her way through her career as a teacher. The narrative’s tone changes as things happen. It is joyful and comedic in moments where appropriate, but still allows for meaningful and heartfelt emotions to come out when needed. The story is paced nicely and the relationship it builds between the reader and Nina is something I have never experienced before.
Even better - Shashi is a Canadian author!! What a feat for Canadian writers!!
Give this a read. You won’t regret it.
5/5
August 9, 2021
Nina's voice hooked me early on and kept me reading. This has a dark underlying event early on. I think sometimes we think girls or women will automatically speak out when such events occur, but Shashi so accurately portrays how culture or a natural bent towards keeping the peace can hinder a person from saying anything.
I felt that Nina's life after that event was an accurate portrayal of how that kind of suppression can affect us. For some, that might come out as anger or bitterness. For Nina it became a life of avoidance--avoidance of the truth of what occurred, avoidance of meaningful relationships.
Although this was told almost like a series of short stories, it held together quite well as one complete narrative.
I felt that Nina's life after that event was an accurate portrayal of how that kind of suppression can affect us. For some, that might come out as anger or bitterness. For Nina it became a life of avoidance--avoidance of the truth of what occurred, avoidance of meaningful relationships.
Although this was told almost like a series of short stories, it held together quite well as one complete narrative.
August 8, 2021
Snappy, propulsive, and funny throughout. The Most Precious Substance on Earth reads with the ease and lightness of a smart YA novel but lingers in the moral imagination like a Strindberg play. This might well become one of those books that gets lovingly handed on from one generation of women to another. Not a primer, not a handbook, but a story that rings immediately true and through its deep specificity touches on something much bigger than any single human experience. This book is one from the heart.
November 2, 2022
4.5 stars
I feel like Nina (the protagonist) is my dear friend! this book talked about so many things i find interesting: girl/womanhood, teaching, family, youth, the internet, literature, walking around in cities. a beautiful coming of age story that i would recommend to any and all people.
thank you to my IRL friend nina for suggesting it to me 😍
I feel like Nina (the protagonist) is my dear friend! this book talked about so many things i find interesting: girl/womanhood, teaching, family, youth, the internet, literature, walking around in cities. a beautiful coming of age story that i would recommend to any and all people.
thank you to my IRL friend nina for suggesting it to me 😍
January 21, 2022
I loved this. A serious book that pretends to be light-hearted, while being genuinely funny. So many apparently small things happened that actually had so much weight. Highly recommend this piece of Canadian literature!
August 26, 2023
this was such a gut-wrenching book. we follow Nina from her teens to the present and we are shown everything she has gone through as a woman of colour (TW : sexual assault). the book made me cry, laugh, feel happy but also mad. I saw a lot of myself in Nina. worth the read
June 28, 2022
The Most Precious Substance on Earth follows Nina, a daughter of Indian immigrants, from 9th grade to her adult life as an ex-teacher. When she was 14, Nina went through a traumatic event, the consequences of which reverberate throughout her entire life in ways that sometimes are not easily visible.
I see this book described as funny and to be honest, I’m not sure if there’s something off with my sense of humor, but I didn’t exactly find it hilarious. It’s a slow-paced, character driven book that at times feels more like a series of vignettes that a typical novel, and even though it wasn’t what I expected based on the blurbs, I was still enchanted by it. It’s beautifully written and extremely personal; despite the fact that Nina’s experiences were quite different from mine, a lot of her inner monologue was very relatable. It’s a sharp and thought-provoking novel with a cast of realistic characters and an ending that truly packs a punch.
TLDR: The Most Precious Substance on Earth is a perfect read for anyone who wants to get to know their protagonist on a very deep level. Honest and poignant, it’s a book that is simply unforgettable.
I see this book described as funny and to be honest, I’m not sure if there’s something off with my sense of humor, but I didn’t exactly find it hilarious. It’s a slow-paced, character driven book that at times feels more like a series of vignettes that a typical novel, and even though it wasn’t what I expected based on the blurbs, I was still enchanted by it. It’s beautifully written and extremely personal; despite the fact that Nina’s experiences were quite different from mine, a lot of her inner monologue was very relatable. It’s a sharp and thought-provoking novel with a cast of realistic characters and an ending that truly packs a punch.
TLDR: The Most Precious Substance on Earth is a perfect read for anyone who wants to get to know their protagonist on a very deep level. Honest and poignant, it’s a book that is simply unforgettable.
August 28, 2022
I am not sure what I feel about this book.
The book is about a young Indo-Canadian Nina leaving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, her days during high school where her best friend is drifting away to explore relationships and drugs and Nina goes through a traumatic event that will scar her for the rest of her life.
The book is beautifully written with great references to 1990´s pop culture and tv series. It also explores the Indian culture within Canada, especially the relationship between parents born abroad and their child born in Canada. It also delves in more serious subjects like rape and drugs. I enjoyed that very much.
My main issue is that I felt as detached from the book and its characters as Nina was detached from telling her own story. I was not particularly fond of the vignette style that the author employed, moving from one timeline to another with no real conclusion. I am still not sure what the overall message of the book was as the story feels unfinished to me. It left me unfulfilled.
This is only my opinion though and lots of people enjoyed this story. I highly encourage you to read it and draw your own opinion.
The book is about a young Indo-Canadian Nina leaving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, her days during high school where her best friend is drifting away to explore relationships and drugs and Nina goes through a traumatic event that will scar her for the rest of her life.
The book is beautifully written with great references to 1990´s pop culture and tv series. It also explores the Indian culture within Canada, especially the relationship between parents born abroad and their child born in Canada. It also delves in more serious subjects like rape and drugs. I enjoyed that very much.
My main issue is that I felt as detached from the book and its characters as Nina was detached from telling her own story. I was not particularly fond of the vignette style that the author employed, moving from one timeline to another with no real conclusion. I am still not sure what the overall message of the book was as the story feels unfinished to me. It left me unfulfilled.
This is only my opinion though and lots of people enjoyed this story. I highly encourage you to read it and draw your own opinion.
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