Advance Praise and Editorial Reviews

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“Namit Arora writes with an enviable briskness and ease, and produces an engaging, incisive portrait of the Indian techie in Silicon Valley. A California Story describes immigrant life with empathy but without pulling any punches. Arora’s California is a space of innovation and discovery, but also challenge and alienation. Readers will be amused, saddened, angered and educated as they read this rigorously unsanitized version of the desi dream.”

        —Suvir Kaul, AM Rosenthal Professor of English, University of Pennsylvania

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“Namit Arora does for Silicon Valley what Tom Wolfe did for Wall Street in The Bonfire of the Vanities: with keen eye and sharp wit, he captures the culture and mores of the place. But Arora is funnier. And sweeter. Rare for a work of fiction, it reveals what has gone so horrifically awry in America and what is still worth preserving. Above all, read it for the sheer pleasure of the story, told in assured and sparkling prose.”

        —S. Abbas Raza, Founding Editor, 3 Quarks Daily

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“Arora’s narrative is structurally sound and capably written with a protagonist who is endearing ... A cleverly written tale with a social conscience featuring themes of family, inclusiveness, racial divides, and the theatrics of love.”

        —Kirkus Reviews (PDF)

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“[A] page-turner … about one person’s honest examination of his experience at a particular time in his life. A simple premise but it takes a lot of skill to execute simplicity: to be sparing and uncomplicated with words, yet keep it engrossing. Namit Arora is well known … for his beautifully composed and well researched essays; his debut novel suggests he is equally adept at fiction.”

        —Hari Balasubramanian, 3QD

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“Namit Arora takes the lid off life in the Great Indian Dream of Silicon Valley.”

        —Jerry Pinto, novelist

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“A moving and insightful portrayal of the immigrant's exile from authenticity. Written in the language of human relationships, Arora's novel will speak to anyone who's been a stranger in a strange land.”

        —Anil Menon, novelist and editor

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“A fiercely honest and insightful story, with richly painted characters I could empathize with readily. The female characters are strong and the author gets into their minds in a way that is refreshing and illuminating.”

        —Cherry Mosteshar, author and journalist

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“Change does come to Ved's life in the end and in a cataclysmic way – perhaps the only way such profound change could come … not all of us have been as lucky – we were not hurtled out of our dubious comfort zone and forced to reckon with what our real purpose in life was. A wonderful, intelligent and unvarnished traverse through the life of an immigrant in America.”

         —Heartcrossings Blog (PDF)

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“In this richly detailed look at San Francisco, immigrant families, relationships, and the often soul-less tech world, Arora helps us take a new look at this Valley that has produced challenges to finding a meaningful life.”

        —Kathleen Gonzalez, author and teacher

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