Gifted
A Novel

Quotes

“Arresting…a coming of age story full of the mingled love and anger that animate families of every culture.” Washington Post Book World

“[Lalwani] conveys the confusions of Rumi’s developing body and mind with charm and warmth…and pinpoints with genuine insight the bewilderment and anguish of a young woman marked out from her peers.” Sunday Times (London)

“Not the least of Nikita Lalwani’s achievements in this superb debut novel lies in her ability to present the tragedy of a gifted second-generation immigrant girl within the framework of larger throes: the conflict and isolation of strangers in a strange land, carrying the wounds of Partition…The novel is especially memorable for its sensuous power. Lalwani not only knows her characters’ minds: she is able to record, in wincing detail, events within their very mouths.”  Independent (London)

“A charming rite-of-passage novel…Lalwani’s evocation of teenage dislocation is pitch-perfect and she inhabits her heroine’s interior world with tender authority.” Guardian (London)

 “Nikita Lalwani’s poignant, vivid debut beautifully describes the dramas of growing up. Her keen-eyed observations highlight what it means to be young, gifted and Asian and the way those three things can be a source of both pride and prejudice.” Marie Claire

“The novel’s triumph is in elucidating the hurt of both child and parents…Rules abound in the world of mathematics, but Lalwani compellingly depicts the pain and pleasure of breaking the rules.” New Statesman

“Observant, witty and stylistically original…The novel is a winner.” Bookseller

“[A] penetrating coming-of-age debut…the pain and confusion [Lalwani] presents are deeply felt.” Publishers Weekly

“Compelling…Lalwani subverts the standard immigrant-identity clichés with surprises that bring everything tumbling down.” Booklist 

“Lalwani’s impressive debut exhibits deep empathy for her characters’ cultural and emotional displacements.” Kirkus Reviews