The Taste of Ginger

A Novel

By: Mansi Shah

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

In Mansi Shah’s stunning debut novel, a family tragedy beckons a first-generation immigrant to the city of her birth, where she grapples with her family’s past in search of where she truly belongs.

After her parents moved her and her brother to America, Preeti Desai never meant to tear her family apart. All she did was fall in love with a white Christian carnivore instead of a conventional Indian boy. Years later, with her parents not speaking to her and her controversial relationship in tatters, all Preeti has left is her career at a prestigious Los Angeles law firm.

But when Preeti receives word of a terrible accident in the city where she was born, she returns to India, where she’ll have to face her estranged parents...and the complicated past they left behind. Surrounded by the sights and sounds of her heritage, Preeti catches a startling glimpse of her family’s battles with class, tradition, and sacrifice. Torn between two beautifully flawed cultures, Preeti must now untangle what home truly means to her.

©2022 Mansi Shah (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Narrator Soneela Nankani takes listeners on the roller-coaster ride of emotions felt by Preeti when she returns to India for the first time since she was 7.…Nankani handles flashbacks gracefully, uses several accents to define characters, and makes Indian traditions and settings sparkle.”—AudioFile Magazine

“Narrator Soneela Nankani adeptly delivers the emotion-charged story, drawing on her skill with accents….Listeners who appreciate fiction with themes of class divisions, immigration, and self-assessment will enjoy.”—Library Journal, a Best Fiction Audiobook of 2022

“Immersive, beautiful and descriptive."—Audicted Podcast

good and good

The taste of Ginger is the story of a family who is trying hard to understand the difference between American culture and Hindi culture. a family that is somehow divided by traditions and costumes that made them who they are. even if that meant to act and do things that not necessarily were what you wanted in your life society and these types of costumes somehow push you to do and made you even feel out of place or uncomfortable

This was the case for Preeti Desai, a young woman trying to find herself in a new relationship with someone who is not very welcomed by her parents and that constantly made her feel like an outsider.

The taste of ginger shows us the burdens and walls society constantly puts on us, especially for immigrants or people who don't look like white Americans. Preeti constantly felt like this like an outsider, like she didn't feet in many places or situations, she had to work extra harder to fit in and to be accepted I really felt sad that Preetie felt like that for the majority of her life, navigating always with her face down not to stand or to feel different than the others.

Preetie, and her family stay longer than expected in India, something happened with Preeties brother that makes things difficult and sad creating a reef between families and siblings.

what really bothered me with this story was that many of the secondary characters suffered in a way that never felt like they recovered, I really felt sorry for what happened with Preeties friend at the bar, that situation should have happened and it was very terrible that never got resolved, that's something that I really didn't felt good with the story. no matter how the culture is I felt like it wasn't right to make that character marry someone just because of what society will say about him. it was like he destroyed all his life to make his parents happy and leave society in peace.

The ending also was not what I was looking for, Preetie understood many things about her life and her culture and traditions but it felt like she was doing all over again whatever everybody does getting married or trying to follow the rule Hindu society is known for.

it was a good book and story but I felt sad and angry at all times, is like Preetie was never happy and her family was always making sure to put so much pressure on her. is like why did you move to Aerica if you wanted to follow other costumes, why all the changes if at the end your parents will ask of you what you been running away from?

I'm not criticizing or judging the ideas and the costumes I just don't understand them, I can't live a life just to make others happy, that's not what life is about.

The narrations by Soneela Nankani were great, this is my first time listening to her work and I really like what she did with the characters and the story.

overall it was a good book

Such a delightful journey

I truly enjoyed this audio experience - the exploration of self, complicated cultural and differences, and complex family issues. Rarely do I finish a book and want to write the author and reader to thank them for their service to our world, but this was one of those instances.

A warm beautiful explanation of immigration....

Only literature can explain the intrincacies of inmigration, the effects on children, the lack of identity among those children. But narrated without tragedies, or dramas, but exposing what families go through when cultures clash.

Beautiful & Deep

As a West Indian immigrant of East Indian descent, this beautiful story touches upon some of the unique struggles of immigrant life in America. I don't think I've read a story that addresses the drop from upper class to middle or working class that many families experience. This novel explores a common struggle of living between two cultures, making difficult choices about acculturation, and feeling "other" as a result. I'm grateful to the author for this incredible offering! As always, Soneela Nankani elevates every story she performs!

Brilliant novel

As a Caribbean native living in a racially mixed society (an almost equal ratio of East Indian and African, with others making up the difference), I was familiar with many of the cultural concepts in this novel. I think any non-white immigrant in America can relate to the issues of identity, belonging and discrimination raised in the story.

It was also a story of generational differences and how families struggle to navigate them. This occurs even in the more heterogeneous societies, so it must be that much more difficult for a child straddling cultural lines of tradition and contemporary life in a ‘foreign’ environment.

Family is important. Tradition is important. Autonomy is important. This novel very adeptly exposes the conflicts that exist for many communities in a sincere and unpretentious manner that is, or should be, an informative experience for white folks who are willing to understand what it means to be ‘other’.

Beautiful story

A heart warming story. I learned so much about people I have known so little of. Thank you for the beautiful way I was able to understand through your eyes.

Excellent story

I read this story on my Kindle App while listening to it on Audible. I enjoyed the story about this young Indian immigrant woman and her family here, and in India. It gave me some good things to think about other people and their experiences. It made me think of my ancestors who immigrated to this country. Not from India, but I am certain that there was a “culture shock” for them, as well as for Preeti, Neel, and their parents. Especially their parents. I recommend this book. Also, listening to it on Audible was very good as I also saw the words on Kindle and could hear them being pronounced correctly on Audible.

The descriptions of life in India

I liked that the scene changed to another country and gave insight into another culture

Pleasant listen

This was a really easy listen. With that said, it was sorta boring. There was never a big climax or anything super interesting.

Nothing new here

Okay for a first novel but nothing original or interesting. I was expecting something different based on the synopsis. Narrator was better when reading Indian voices but main character sounded like a “valley girl” throughout, which she definitely was not despite working in Los Angeles. I usually find Indian authors to be quite lyrical in their use of the English language. The writing here was pedestrian.