A fellow writer sent me a link to this recently published book when I mentioned on Facebook that there are so few fiction books written by or about Sikh perspectives.
This is a fiction book written for teens. I’ll say straight away that if you’re an older Punjabi Sikh, the story may seem incomprehensible, as the main characters are involved on cosplay: that is, dressing as fictional characters as fans and creators of science fiction and fantasy. If you’ve ever seen the TV show, Big Bang Theory, and what the guys do for fun, the characters in this book are those people.
Sunny G, the narrator, has just shaved his beard, ditched his dastaar, and is preparing to go to his high school prom on the night of his older brother Goldy’s barsi (one year memorial service). He feels he has done his mourning, and this will also be the last get together of his friends before they scatter for college. After the prom, he and several friends, including an African girl and several Asians, who are in a music band, are going to play at an event.
While Sunny has finished mourning the only physical remembrance of his brother is a notebook his brother kept.
As the story unfolds over one long night, mostly spent with a Hmong (Laotian) girl who has taken a liking to Sunny, they dress as their characters, check out both of their parents’ small businesses, and travel around Fresno (California) to find the guy who stole the notebook as well as attend a gaming party and a poetry reading.
We learn that Goldy, Sunny’s older brother, who was gay, died of self-induced alcohol poisoning. At the end, early in the morning, Sunny comes to appreciate that sometimes we don’t have all the answers.
I don’t have children, and were this book not written from a Sikh point-of-view, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up. There is a lot of Punjabi jargon in the book, and the kids use a lot of profanity, but the dialogue sounds natural, though I’m not sure why Dhillon has Sunny stuttering.
If your gurdwara or satsang has a library, this would be a good addition. If your kids are into cosplay, they would enjoy this. If you’ve had trauma in your family, and your children are balking at tradition, this would be a good read. There is no sex in the book or anything that would challenge religious conservatives. Sorry I have to say this, but these days, you do. We need more accessible Sikh literature.