Late Bloomers

March 15, 2023
The Ramans were your typical Indian American family. Dad's a computer guy at Central Texas State University, Mom made sure the house was immaculate, the family well fed. Their son is an Ivy League lawyer in New York, their daughter a medieval history professor in Austin. But then, a year ago, Lata very untypically left her husband of 30-odd years, and now the ripples are starting to look more like a tsunami. Meet Suresh. He took early retirement last year and now rattles around the family home in Clayborn. With Lata gone, he lives off frozen burritos and omelets. Taking care of the yard was another Lata job, one he handles more successfully, finding he likes getting his hands dirty. But his real pastime is dating. He Googles "Indian internet dating" one day and can't stop searching. When he meets Mallika, he thinks he may have found his first second date. Across town, Lata's living in a condo, working at the university's music library, and faring better. She's got a new friend, Deanna, the pierced and tattooed Ph.D. student she works with, and even a love interest, Len Greenberg, a jazz professor who brings her CDs. Now, at 57, Lata's about to go on her very first first date. Daughter Priya is 35 and single, which in Raman world is not ideal, but worse: She's seeing a married man, and she smokes. Even No. 1 son Nikesh is showing some cracks in his picture-perfect life: Glossy high-powered "wife" Denise refuses to celebrate their son's first birthday with Nikesh's parents unless he comes clean that they are actually not married. Varadarajan's novel gives all four full voice to tell their stories. The parents' come with affectionate Indianisms (when Deanna tells Lata about her own family troubles, Lata "[makes] a mental note to bring her a large Tupperware of lemon rice"); the kids' with sharp takes on same (Priya explains that resenting an Indian mother's love of a son was "like resenting the orbit of the moon"). Varadarajan has written her characters with intelligence and compassion, imbuing them with complexity; each narrative mirrors, refracts, refutes, and informs the others in what's ultimately a tender exploration of family patterns, choices, regrets, and the possibility for change. Warm, hopeful, often charming. The Ramans are an idiosyncratic oasis in the world of literary unhappy families.

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March 27, 2023
Varadarajan debuts with an endearing exploration of an Indian American family’s search for new beginnings. After 36 years, the Ramans call it quits on their arranged marriage. Lata moves into a condo and gets a job as a librarian, the allure of these first-time experiences outweighing the challenges of singlehood. Suresh, on the other hand, turns to internet dating. (For his profile, he shaves four years off his age, calling himself 55.)Meanwhile, their adult children navigate their own complicated lives. Nikesh, the star of the family with his perfect lawyer-wife, Denise, and their eight-month-old son, is hiding a secret about his relationship with Denise. His older sister, Priya, a history professor who’s considered a problem child because she’s unmarried and childless at 35, is hiding an affair with a man her parents would never approve of. Suresh meets an attractive woman too young for him, while Lata agrees to her first-ever date, but the accumulating secrets threaten to shake the family’s foundations. Striking narration from each of the family members and believable character development add to Varadarajan’s bold challenge to traditional South Asian conventions for a stringent life plan. These strong voices leave an indelible mark. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, InkWell Management.

April 15, 2023
After 36 years of marriage and two grown children, Lata Raman put herself first and found a new place to live and a job she loves in a university's music library. Surprised by the divorce, Suresh turned to dating apps and a wide geographic range from his home in Clayton, Texas, as the solution. Their son, Nikesh, is in New York City with his partner and their baby, making it easier for him to find the situation amusing, but his older sister, Priya, is nearby and finds the whole thing exhausting, especially as she struggles with her own dysfunctional romance. What's a divided family to do? Readers looking for new fictional friends to cherish will be smitten with the Ramans from page one. Each of first-time novelist Varadarajan's characters has their own journey and personal growth, and the family interactions acknowledge past decisions that still resonate. Details about the couple's arranged marriage, favorite foods, and celebrations add even greater depth to these engaging characters, while a lively sense of humor guides them through challenges and joys.

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