Neel Patel

From the author of If You See Me, Don't Say Hi (a NYTBR Choice and NPR Best Book of the Year), a story set in Illinois over one summer, as an Indian-American man comes out to his family. One year after the death of his father, Akash, a songwriter in Los Angeles, is living a double life, sharing an apartment with his boyfriend while evading his mother's pleas that he find a wife. When Akash learns his mother has sold his childhood home in Illinois in order to move back to London, he returns to pack up his things, honor the death of his father, and mend his strained relationships with his mother and brother. What he doesn't anticipate is running into Parth--a childhood friend with whom he'd shared his first romantic connection. Parth, too, has returned home, managing his parents' motel while they are away in India. What starts as a farewell soon becomes the beginning of a love affair between the two, and Akash must decide between the life he left behind and the one he's since created. Set against the backdrop of the Trump era, as racial tensions simmer, Tell Me How to Be is a story of betrayal and the journey toward reconciliation. But most of all, it is a testament to the overpowering force of first love and how it teaches us to be in the world.

A Novel

Tell Me How to Be

A Vanity Fair Ultimate Fiction Pick "These stories have a sharp eye for the complexities of modern life, but Neel Patel writes with the wisdom and compassion of an old soul.” —Celeste Ng, New York Times bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere "A joy to read, reminiscent of Jhumpa Lahiri and David Ebershoff." —Imbolo Mbue, New York Times bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers In eleven sharp, surprising stories, Neel Patel gives voice to our most deeply held stereotypes and then slowly undermines them. His characters, almost all of who are first-generation Indian Americans, subvert our expectations that they will sit quietly by. We meet two brothers caught in an elaborate web of envy and loathing; a young gay man who becomes involved with an older man whose secret he could never guess; three women who almost gleefully throw off the pleasant agreeability society asks of them; and, in the final pair of linked stories, a young couple struggling against the devastating force of community gossip. If You See Me, Don't Say Hi examines the collisions of old world and new world, small town and big city, traditional beliefs (like arranged marriage) and modern rituals (like Facebook stalking). Ranging across the country, Patel’s stories -- empathetic, provocative, twisting, and wryly funny -- introduce a bold new literary voice, one that feels more timely than ever.

Stories

If You See Me, Don't Say Hi

* INAUGURAL LILLY'S LIBRARY BOOK CLUB PICK FROM LILLY SINGH * A Most Anticipated Book (The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Harper's Bazaar, Reader's Digest, The Millions, Lambda Literary, Goodreads, PopSugar, Bustle, Chicago Review of Books, Alta, Apartment Therapy) From rising star Neel Patel ("refreshing...defiant...consistently surprising" --New York Times), a darkly funny and heartbreaking debut novel about an Indian-American family confronting the secrets between them Renu Amin always seemed perfect: doting husband, beautiful house, healthy sons. But as the one-year anniversary of her husband's death approaches, Renu is binge-watching soap operas and simmering with old resentments. She can't stop wondering if, thirty-five years ago, she chose the wrong life. In Los Angeles, her son, Akash, has everything he ever wanted, but as he tries to kickstart his songwriting career and commit to his boyfriend, he is haunted by the painful memories he fled a decade ago. When his mother tells him she is selling the family home, Akash returns to Illinois, hoping to finally say goodbye and move on. Together, Renu and Akash pack up the house, retreating further into the secrets that stand between them. Renu sends an innocent Facebook message to the man she almost married, sparking an emotional affair that calls into question everything she thought she knew about herself. Akash slips back into bad habits as he confronts his darkest secrets--including what really happened between him and the first boy who broke his heart. When their pasts catch up to them, Renu and Akash must decide between the lives they left behind and the ones they've since created, between making each other happy and setting themselves free. By turns irreverent and tender, filled with the beats of '90s R&B, Tell Me How to Be is about our earliest betrayals and the cost of reconciliation. But most of all, it is the love story of a mother and son each trying to figure out how to be in the world.

Townie

Renu Amin always seemed perfect: doting husband, beautiful house, healthy sons. But as the one-year anniversary of her husband's death approaches, Renu is binge-watching soap operas and simmering with old resentments. She can't stop wondering if, thirty-five years ago, she chose the wrong life. In Los Angeles, her son, Akash, has everything he ever wanted, but as he tries to kickstart his songwriting career and commit to his boyfriend, he is haunted by the painful memories he fled a decade ago. When his mother tells him she is selling the family home, Akash returns to Illinois, hoping to finally say goodbye and move on. Together, Renu and Akash pack up the house, retreating further into the secrets that stand between them. Renu sends an innocent Facebook message to the man she almost married, sparking an emotional affair that calls into question everything she thought she knew about herself. Akash slips back into bad habits as he confronts his darkest secrets-including what really happened between him and the first boy who broke his heart. When their pasts catch up to them, Renu and Akash must decide between the lives they left behind and the ones they've since created, between making each other happy and setting themselves free. By turns irreverent and tender, filled with the beats of '90s R&B, Tell Me How to Be is about our earliest betrayals and the cost of reconciliation. But most of all, it is the love story of a mother and son each trying to figure out how to be in the world.

Neel Patel

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