ABUNDANCE

An Indian American family is rocked by a medical crisis in this sensitive debut.

The Bharwani family has been drifting apart for years, with daughter Fareen pursuing a career at Goldman Sachs in New York and son Adnan engaged in shadowy business dealings in Nigeria. But when their mother, Sakeena, collapses at home in Miami, the pushes and pulls between family life and the outside world become harder and harder to balance. While Fareen is consumed by the possibility of a promotion and Adnan hides the reality of his situation from his family, their sister Kawal must take on the burden of her mother’s care while also managing her own pregnancy. Adding to these complications is the fact that Sakeena, a religious Muslim, believes in naseeb, or destiny, and thus refuses essential treatment for her life-threatening condition against her doctor’s instructions. Her children, as well as her devoted husband, Ramzan, are torn between trying to force her to comply with her doctors, giving her a chance to receive the liver transplant that could save her life, and letting her maintain control over her own body. Lakhani skillfully inhabits each family member and delves into the past to explore how their relationships formed. He is especially good at showing how many family members have been gripped by the immigrant’s drive to succeed, even if that drive leads to unhappiness. Sakeena, meanwhile, represents a different way of thinking, one ruled less by logic and expediency. Though the book has flaws—bizarrely, given the severe nature of Sakeena’s medical crisis, Lakhani mentions health insurance and medical costs only in passing—this is a thoughtful and carefully constructed novel.

A promising debut that clearly depicts both the rewards and the deep losses of American immigration.