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If You See Me, Don't Say Hi
If You See Me, Don't Say Hi: Stories | Neel Patel
17 posts | 15 read | 21 to read
"In stories that are moving, thoughtful, entertaining, and discomfiting all at once, Neel Patel upends what we think the experience of Indians in America looks like. Its about time." --Rumaan Alam, author of Rich and Pretty In these eleven sharp, surprising stories, Neel Patel gives voice to our most deeply held stereotypes and then slowly undermines them. His characters, almost all of who are first-generation Indian Americans, subvert our expectations that they will sit quietly by. We meet two brothers caught in an elaborate web of envy and loathing; a young gay man who becomes involved with an older man whose secret he could never guess; three women who almost gleefully throw off the pleasant agreeability society asks of them; and, in the final pair of linked stories, a young couple struggling against the devastating force of community gossip. If You See Me, Don't Say Hi examines the collisions of old world and new world, small town and big city, traditional beliefs (like arranged marriage) and modern rituals (like Facebook stalking). The men and women in these stories are full of passion, regret, envy, anger, and yearning. They fall in love with the wrong people and betray one another and deal with the accumulation of years of subtle racism. They are utterly compelling. Ranging across the country, Patels stories -- empathetic, provocative, twisting, and wryly funny -- introduce a bold new literary voice, one that feels more timely than ever.
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she.hearts.horror
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Pickpick

There‘s so much to appreciate here. My one constructive critique would have been more range in the perception of the experience or reflection of the relationship. At certain points, I felt like I was hearing from the same person multiple times ( and not in the cool intentional Black Mirror way).

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Megabooks
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Pickpick

I absolutely loved this short story collection! There was enough left open at the end of each story to leave me wondering, thinking about each character, but not so much that I left unsatisfied.

Patel‘s stories draw on a the families of an Indian-American community in rural Illinois. It‘s probably very similar to the Indian community in my town in Kentucky. Maybe that‘s part of the draw...seeing something so close I wouldn‘t otherwise see.

britt_brooke Nice review! #stacked 4y
Megabooks This is my actual #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks thanks!! 4y
Megabooks @britt_brooke thanks! I hope you enjoy it! 4y
See All 12 Comments
Cinfhen Great review!! Are the short stories interconnected??? 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen the last two are opposite sides of the same story, but the rest are just connected by locale but not specific plots. 4y
Cinfhen What do you think/ pass for me?? I don‘t love short stories that much🤷🏼‍♀️ 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen pass for you 4y
Cinfhen Ha!!! I thought so xx 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
Emilymdxn This sounds incredible, must read! 4y
Megabooks @Emilymdxn I think you would enjoy it! 4y
109 likes7 stack adds12 comments
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Megabooks
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#bookmail!

Another day, another short story collection! 😃📚

Librariana I like the title 😆 4y
Megabooks @Librariana fantastic, right? 😂 4y
Centique Brilliant title! 😂😂 4y
See All 6 Comments
Megabooks @Centique 👍🏻😂😂 4y
youneverarrived Love the title and the cover! 4y
Megabooks @youneverarrived I like the understated cover too! 4y
112 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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GreenGrl87
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#3books written by 3 phenomenal POC authors. It was hard to choose just 3 to highlight since my bookshelves are mostly BIPOC authors, but these are by some of my faves and essential reading for sure- even Nori says so! @OriginalCyn620 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

OriginalCyn620 Cute kitty! 😻 4y
15 likes2 comments
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GreenGrl87
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Pickpick

Incredible, candid, and so beautiful. The last two short stories in this collection really took this book to five stars in my opinion, and coming back to it after having set it aside at the end of last year‘s backpacking season was like finding a delectable morsel almost forgotten and yet perfectly preserved waiting in the back of the fridge. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Bertha_Mason

Lazy, biphobic premise in the very next story ("Just a Friend"). I'm done with this book.

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Bertha_Mason

I had to skip a story ("Hey, Loser") that was nothing but a ridiculous incel fever dream that the author half-assedly attempted to pass off as a commentary on racialized desirability politics by making Chad (TM) white. If you're not even doing as well as rapist junot diaz, who at least builds compelling challenges to his male characters' Nice Guy (TM) worldview into his narratives, then you ARE a loser, just like--yes--this protagonist.

Bertha_Mason And as a bonus, junot diaz DOES brilliantly address racialized desirability politics, for both men and women. If you're going to be a total dick, at least be talented. 5y
5 likes1 comment
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Bertha_Mason

Some of these stories needed a few more drafts.

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Bertha_Mason

"His hair was the color of orange shag carpeting; his skin was the color of boiled shrimp."
-"Hare Rama, Hare Krishna"
?⚰

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Bertha_Mason

"No one ever told me that happiness was like a currency: that when it goes, it goes, and that few people are willing to give you some of theirs."
-"God of Destruction"

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Bertha_Mason

"I wasn't always this way. But the friction of life has a way of turning sharp edges into smooth ones, smooth edges into sharp ones, until you've become a duller, slightly misshapen version of your former self."
-"God of Destruction"

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suzisteffen
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Pickpick

Woke up and couldn‘t sleep right away, so I finished the final two (kinda tragic, really!) stories in this great collection that might as well be titled “Never Connect.” The stories are quite good, though I think they‘re a bit distant from their narrators - perhaps that‘s part of the point. I‘d recommend reading them more widely spaced apart than I did for maximum enjoyment. My first #shortstories of 2019 & a good read.

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suzisteffen
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Started this #shortstory collection last night. It‘s the author‘s debut collection and is just fantastic. Pretty sure I‘ve read a couple of them online and loved them. Reading a great interview with him that I‘ll put in the comments.

9 likes1 comment
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saltwaterlit
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Saturday night plans 🎉😸I‘m loving this short story collection so much. I‘m trying to finish it this weekend because it‘s due back at the library on Monday.

5 likes1 stack add
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saltwaterlit
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I was feeling stressed so I took a lunch break walk to the library 💁🏼‍♀️ even though I have plenty of books to read already, I only have so much will power..here‘s my haul! #tbr

mreads Tagged book is really good 6y
saltwaterlit @mreads I love a good short story collection, so I‘m looking forward to it! 6y
7 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Melismatic
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Started this on Libby today, should be a quick one. I‘ve had it on “hold” for me since July! I‘m 1.5 essays in and am enjoying it so far!

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Well-ReadNeck
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Pickpick

All 11 stories in this collection feature characters who are first generation Indian-Americans. For all of the characters, whether male or female; poor or rich; young or old; gay or straight, the primary struggle they face is cultural. With a foot in both American and Indian cultures these characters find that they are either both/and or neither/nor and their lives unfold according to their perceptions. #netgalley

Soubhiville Nice review! It sounds interesting! 6y
SledgeReader @Well-ReadNeck Hi! Several of us are trying to pull together a meet up in the Southeast. The RC Cola and moonpie on your blog with your Litsy handle indicate you could live in the area. So far we‘ve contacted Alabama and Mississippi. Are you geographically in the area? 6y
131 likes7 stack adds2 comments