Rakesh Satyal’s Blue Boy tells story of Kiran, a second-generation Indian-American boy who lives in a quaint Cincinnati suburb. Smart and creative, the 12-year-old does everything he can to meet his parents’ expectations and fit into his surroundings. Yet Kiran’s not like other boys: He prefers Strawberry Shortcake dolls, ballet and his mother’s Estee Lauder make-up, proclivities that alienate him from not only the other (mostly WASP-y) kids at school but also his fellow Indians at temple.
Kiran combats his growing isolation by aligning himself with another unique, sexually ambiguous figure — he believes he’s the blue-faced reincarnation of Krisha — along the way learning to celebrate his own singular identity.
Satyal’s debut novel is consistently funny and frequently tender, a lyrical coming-of-age tale informed by the author’s own experience growing up in the Cincinnati suburb of Fairfield. A 2002 graduate of Princeton University, Satyal immediately when to work as an editor for Harper Collins upon graduation — he’s worked with everyone from Gore Vidal to Bill O’Reilly — before tackling his own fictional effort, which was published in April.
Satyal discusses and signs his book at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Read Jason Gargano’s interview with the author here.
This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2009.