If You See Me, Dont Say Hi, Neel Patel
If You See Me, Dont Say Hi, Neel Patel
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If You See Me, Don't Say Hi
Stories

Author: Neel Patel

Narrator: Neel Patel

Unabridged: 6 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/10/2018


Synopsis

"If You See Me, Don't Say Hi bristles with unexpected meetings and reunions, recognitions and failed recognitions, passions and estrangements of all kinds. These stories have a sharp eye for the complexities of modern life, but Neel Patel writes with the wisdom and compassion of an old soul." — Celeste Ng, New York Times bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere

This program is read by the author.

In 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). Ranging across the country, Patel’s stories -- empathetic, provocative, twisting, and wryly funny -- introduce a bold new literary voice, one that feels more timely than ever.

More praise for If You See Me, Don't Say Hi:

"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. It’s about time." — Rumaan Alam, author of Rich and Pretty

"Patel has a knack for depicting the gap between how characters experience their lives and how they are expected to be seen—and how those gaps can widen into life changing fractures. This is a perceptive, moving collection." — Publishers Weekly

About Neel Patel

Neel Patel is a first-generation Indian American who grew up in Champaign, Illinois. His debut story collection, If You See Me, Don't Say Hi, was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and was long-listed for the Story Prize and the Aspen Words Literary Prize. He currently lives in Los Angeles. Tell Me How to Be is his debut novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Thomas

3.5 stars A great debut short story collection that centers the complex lives of first-generation Indian Americans, some queer and some straight. Neel Patel, an emerging voice in literature, dispels the model minority myth with these 11 well-written stories. Though people often make assumptions about......more


Quotes

"Neel Patel narrates his short stories with a depth of feeling that draws listeners further into them." -AudioFile


Awards

  • NPR Best Book of the Year