You Bring the Distant Near

Rather than following a single protagonist throughout the story, Perkins’s novel presents five main characters over three generations. With the exception of Ranee, each of the Das women takes a turn narrating the chapters. How do these authorial choices impact the novel’s structure and the theme of Family Dynamics and Cultural Identity? Why does Perkins not write a chapter from Ranee’s first-person perspective?

From the novel’s opening pages, Ranee and Sonia’s relationship provides much of the story’s conflict and plays a key role in the theme of family dynamics. What factors play into this fraught mother-daughter relationship? How do they eventually find reconciliation and resolution?

How do the Das women find empowerment by channeling their creativity and following their passions? Consider characters from multiple generations in your response.