BORN CONFUSED
by Tanuja Desai Hidier
Age 14+
This unusual novel by an American-born writer of Indian parentage offers 400 pages of dense, purple prose; reading it is like walking through lush undergrowth.

The setting, though, is an American high school and New York clubs, in which Dimple Lala, just 17, close to her Indian parents, passionate about being a photographer but not confident of her own charms or talent, aspires to be like her blonde, beautiful, best friend Gwyn, who gets what she wants from everyone except her mother.

When Gwyn falls for the Indian boy that Dimple’s parents have chosen for their daughter, Dimple comes to understand more about friendship, love and her own identity. In this rite-of-passage book, with its vivid mix of Hindu culture, youth slang, bhangra music, teen angst, South Asian politics and the New York scene, Dimple learns the importance of being what you want to be.

She has to cope not only with the confusion of belonging to two cultures but also, like any 17-year-old, with boyfriends, friendships, her parents and decisions about her future. Romantic, absorbing, thoughtful and original, this is a book to lose yourself in, and will help young-adult readers find their way through the jungle of growing up (Scholastic £12.99).

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