Maybe this book should have been half as long. By the end of the book, I really had no interest in what Gogol was thinking or doing. The initial descriptions of the Ganguli family's struggles to adapt to life in the United States was interesting both between generations and genders. I particularly liked the food adaptions. I felt more sympathy for Gogol's parents and their struggles than for him.For those readers interested in a book for young people about a young girl and her family from India and her cultural adaption to Iowa, I recommend Blue Jasmine by Kashmira Sheth.