Booklist Review

Preeti Desai is a millennial immigrant who has always felt caught between the new world and old. Moving from India to the U.S. at a young age, Preeti spent most of her childhood and young adult life trying to assimilate to the American culture because she felt it was the only way to succeed. The assimilation came at a cost, though, as it alienated Preeti from her mother, who wants her to be a traditional "good Indian daughter." Now a successful lawyer, Preeti feels as if she's made it, but still can't shake off her mother's disappointment. When a family tragedy beckons Preeti back to India, she can't help but feel like a foreigner in the country of her birth. While in India, Preeti reconnects with her Indian side, and discovers that no one culture has all of the answers; the answer lies within life's journey. Mansi Shah's The Taste of Ginger is a poignant debut novel, reminiscent of Jhumpa Lahiri, that touches on the immigrant experience in America, being caught between two cultures, and finding one's place in the world.