What a Happy Family, Saumya Dave
What a Happy Family, Saumya Dave
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What a Happy Family

Author: Saumya Dave

Narrator: Soneela Nankani

Unabridged: 12 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 06/22/2021


Synopsis

"A full, big hearted novel.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six

Nestled in the suburbs of Atlanta, a family learns the funniest punchlines can hide the hardest truths in this evocative women’s fiction novel from the author of Well-Behaved Indian Women

From the outside, the Joshi family is the quintessential Indian-American family. Decades ago, Bina and Deepak immigrated to America, where she became a pillar of their local Indian community and he, a successful psychiatrist. Their eldest daughter, Suhani, is following the footsteps of her father’s career and happily married. Natasha, their middle daughter, is about to become engaged to the son of longtime family friends. And Anuj, their son—well he’s a son and what could be better than that?
 
But a family scandal shows that nothing is as it seems. Bina’s oldest friendship starts to unravel and she finds herself as an outsider in the community she helped build. Suhani discovers that her perfect marriage isn’t as solid as she thought. Natasha faces a series of rejections that send her into a downward spiral. 
 
As they encounter public humiliation, gossiping aunties, and self-doubt, the Joshi family must rely on each other like never before. But sometimes, family has to fall apart in order to come back stronger than before.

About The Author

Saumya Dave is a writer, resident psychiatrist, and co-founder of thisisforHER. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post, Refinery29, and others. She lives in New York City with her husband.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jessica on April 18, 2021

3.5 stars. For the first half this book is familiar, a multi-perspective look at a modern family where the parents are immigrants who have built a successful life but the children are starting to flounder. What makes this book really different is that it has a very specific idea of how this dynamic......more

Goodreads review by Lilli on August 11, 2021

Five shining stars for this touching portrait of an Indian-American family living in Atlanta and all coming to terms with what their family history and individual experiences within the unit of their family means for them and for their mental well-being. Saumya Dave brings her personal experience as......more

Goodreads review by Shivani on April 26, 2021

This book was everything I ever wanted. I don’t think I’ve ever been this connected and seen by a book before. I’m so grateful to have received an arc of this book because I could talk about it all day long and will be raving it about it until and after its release. To dive into the contents, this i......more

Goodreads review by Samantha on March 22, 2021

What a Happy Family delves deep into the emotions of family struggles, mental health, happiness, and the importance of communication. A beautiful and wonderfully written book told from different POVs, Dave’s poignant and true-to-life story pulls on the heartstrings with warmth, compassion, and humor......more

Goodreads review by Denise on June 06, 2021

I connected to this book on a heart level--the warmth, humor, emotion, depth, and realism pulled me in and I was hooked from the beginning.......more


Quotes

“A wise and moving portrait of an Indian-American family. Saumya Dave renders the Joshi family with such warmth and tenderness — yet never shies away from the complicated truths. A full, big hearted novel.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six

"A bright new voice in women’s fiction.”—Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author of The Lies that Bind

“In her wonderful follow up to Well-Behaved Indian Women, Saumya Dave is quickly becoming a go-to author for complex stories of love, relationships and family, all told with her now trademark humor and heart.”—Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author of Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing

"Dave writes insightful, compelling characters who readers fall in with and root for on their journeys balancing love, family, mental health, careers, and belonging. What a Happy Family is a vivid portrait of family life and I was captivated by the stories of the Joshi clan from the very first page."—Sonya Lalli, author of Serena Singh Flips the Script

“Evocative and nuanced, Saumya Dave’s latest novel, What a Happy Family, captures the tenderness of first and second generation immigrant family life, while providing an empathetic portrait of generational trauma and its impact on mental health. I fell in love with the Joshi family, and enjoyed every step of their journey back to each other!”—Uzma Jalaluddin, author of Hana Khan Carries On

"Saumya Dave beautifully depicts the weaknesses and strengths of a complex and flawed family, while bringing multiple compelling perspectives to mental health issues."—Jane Igharo, author of Ties That Tether

“A sure bet for vacation reading and fans of hopeful family dramas.”Booklist

“The narrative is thoroughly propulsive, and Dave writes intelligently about the universality of shame, disappointment, and living to please others while simultaneously sharing the unique experiences of a first-generation Desi family.”Publishers Weekly

“This contemporary Indian American family drama with a strong dose of psychology will have readers rooting for the characters despite their human shortcomings.”Library Journal