Beloved Strangers by Maria Chaudhari

	The South Asian Life & Times - SALT Spring 2014
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	Book Review Beloved Strangers By Maria Chaudhari Published by Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014 Reviewed by Aishwarya Singh Maria Chaudhari’s Beloved Strangers makes for a gripping journey. The author elaborates on her childhood with numerous anecdotes about personal experiences with her family and life’s aspirations. She details her struggle with a lot of aspects of Bangladeshi culture. Most readers will find a lot to relate to, be it in familial love and conflict or the emotionally challenging process of growing up and growing out of one’s home and thus questioning old customs and ideas as one tries to incorporate one’s own dreams and opinions. A strong theme throughout the book is the author’s longing to escape her native culture and move to the United States but at certain points in the book I found myself questioning whether there was something prominently more to her desire than what has been described in the book – maybe an experience, beyond just watching American wrestling matches, that brought about an attraction towards the west in her childhood itself. As a student in the United States who longs for home quite often, I was looking for a stronger and deeper reason for the author’s yearning for escape. For reader’s who enjoy discussions on identity, culture, aspirations and romantic escapism, Beloved Strangers is a must. This is one of those books you can carry on a long flight or spend a weekend with, as it’s difficult to put down once you begin reading.
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