I was immediately drawn to THE DREAM BUILDERS because it takes place in modern India. In THE DREAM BUILDERS we get a glimpse behind the scenes in this generation.
Maneka Roy has been living in the United States and working for twelve years. But when her mother dies unexpectedly she returns to India to help her now widowed father make decisions about his future. Maneka’s parents sold their home in Calcutta to move to a northern city so her mother could pursue a teaching career. They plowed their modest nest egg into a bad investment: a condominium that goes bust before it’s even built. Now with his wife gone, Maneka’s father has to decide what he’s going to do going forward. He’s never liked the new home and just does not feel as if he fits in. Feels out of place in this new world of richness and excess.
Maneka hooks up with friends she hasn’t seen in many years. Everyone seems so happy. One friend especially seems to have it all. New, handsome husband, beautiful home, and wealth beyond mention. But what’s the underlying issue? Something is just not right.
Issues of loneliness, classism, jealousy, and economic frustration hang heavily over this city and its people. No one is who they appear to be. Secrets are around every corner. Throughout we get such a sense that it’s all just too big to be true.
In the midst of richness is truly tragedy.
My physical review copy was provided by Tin House in exchange for an honest review. An up and coming new novelist with a keen eye for what’s going on in India today. I look forward to her next novel.
Maurice on Books 
This sounds like a fantastic spring read!
This sounds like a book that needs to be discussed.
Yes, a good one for discussion. We read a lot about India but it’s mostly about poverty and slums. Not this one.