No One Can Pronounce My Name

A Novel

By: Rakesh Satyal

Narrated by: Amol Shah

Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

A humorous and tender multigenerational novel about immigrants and outsiders - those trying to find their place in American society and within their own families.

In a suburb outside Cleveland, a community of Indian Americans has settled into lives that straddle the divide between Eastern and Western cultures. For some, America is a bewildering and alienating place where coworkers can't pronounce your name but will eagerly repeat the Sanskrit phrases from their yoga class. Harit, a lonely Indian immigrant in his mid-40s, lives with his mother, who can no longer function after the death of Harit's sister, Swati.

In a misguided attempt to keep both himself and his mother sane, Harit has taken to dressing up in a sari every night to pass himself off as his sister. Meanwhile, Ranjana, also an Indian immigrant in her mid-40s, has just seen her only child, Prashant, off to college. Worried that her husband has begun an affair, she seeks solace by writing paranormal romances in secret. When Harit and Ranjana's paths cross, they begin a strange yet necessary friendship that brings to light their own passions and fears.

Rakesh Satyal's No One Can Pronounce My Name is a distinctive, funny, and insightful look into the lives of people who must reconcile the strictures of their culture and traditions with their own dreams and desires.

©2017 Rakesh Satyal (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Witty, touching, a view into another culture

The story itself has little plot, its strength lies in the incredibly sumptuous portrayal of the lives of its protagonists. It covers a wide range from the challenges of long-term relationships, to discovering and admitting one's inclinations, to growing up. This all is embedded and enriched by the complexity resulting from the different cultures. There is something to smile and laugh about, something to cheer for and much that simply touches. The book will appeal to those who enjoy detailed life and everyday stories.
Exceptionally good narration.

One of my all-time favorites!!!

This was a winner on all fronts. I listened to a number of the chapters more than once. i love how the book shifted from character to character, revealing more and more of their stories. I recommend this book highly.

Been waiting for a book like this

Firstly thank you Rakesh Satyal for writing this -
1 inspiring other South Asian American writers that our stories are important.
2 for tackling really hard yet important topics in the community= sexuality/ gender roles/ inter-generational issues/ communication etc.
3 for breaking "it" (these issues) down for all ivolved
4 for keeping it real
5 for the amazing writing in general
6 making me laugh out loud
7 bringing me close to tears

This book was what I needed, what I've been waiting for, what the South Asian community in US and other countries other than the "homeland" needs more of. I was thoroughly pleased.

As a fellow "desi" Ohioan (I am Indian American and live in Ohio), struggling or having struggled through many of the issues mentioned it was a like an aha moment. I loved that you addressed the cultural appropriation by white people who practice yoga, the judging (you know what am talking about), the different perspectives of Indians on other Indians, and you said it beautifully - when you said - they can't say our name but can somehow use words from our culture at their convenience. Thanks so much. And thanks for inspiring me to write through the various stories of writers in the book.

The Narrator was good- just one time his pronunciation seemed off. C'mon Shah! ;-) JK. He brought the emotion out and the comedy. Or maybe the writer was just that good. AKA the lingerie seduction scene.

To non- South Asian Americans I highly recommend this book: It is a great book if you want to learn about a different culture, widen your world view, broaden your perspective, and just read an amazingly woven story. Yes there are different time lines, different and strange names, and it might be hard to follow, but I get asked where I am from so very often, especially here in Ohio. My story would sound complex and long winded more so than this book.

This book is very important cause right now with the bigotry, racism, anti- Muslim/ brown sentiment in the country, its good to know what the other side is feeling/ going through.

I would highly recommend reading it with an order of Biryani and an beer from an Ohio brewery for full effect.

Difficult to Review

There was a core story in this book which I enjoyed. It was the story about people who immigrated from India and their struggles with their lives. Some of it was due to immigration but much of it was due to their own personal struggles around grief and sexuality. I found it difficult to read/listen to, however, because of the way the author presented the story lines. The author went back and forth from one person's story to another's and there was no break and no way of telling that the story had moved from one character's storyline to another's. Then the story went from present to past and back to present quite often. And I am still confused about a very brief storyline in there about a white guy moving to New York that ended up working at the same store as two of the characters. Why was that even in there? The experience of listening to this book was like accidentally spilling someone's Scrabble tiles everywhere. You know there are words that make sense in there, but it is all mixed up and out of order. It was a struggle to follow the book but the base story was good.

What a Great Book

If you could sum up No One Can Pronounce My Name in three words, what would they be?

This is a wonderful novel, parts fun & touching. There are no perfect characters, only lovable portraits. I laughed aloud while listening, not such a great scene on the subway. Otherwise a delightful listen.

What did you like best about this story?

The interweaving of characters and stories.

What about Amol Shah’s performance did you like?

Animated and true to each character.

Great book

I was skeptical at first but the characters grow on you and you end up rooting for many of them. There is mystery and excitement in this story as you listen to the characters break the barriers of their own perception of how life should be. It’s fun, heavy and light at the same time.