My Name Is Long As A River

As the title of the book suggests, “𝙈𝙮 𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙍𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧” is a name-identity story. But there are many aspects that set it apart from its contemporaries. For one, it is set in South India by the river Kaveri along the sidelines of the Pushkaram festival.

But more importantly, it moves away from the American-Indian narrative where the protagonist is often found comparing one’s name to those of the western world; rather this story is about being comfortable with one’s own name, even if it is long. This makes the experience universal.

I love how the Suma has included Tamil right on page one and uses words specific to her language without the need for an immediate translation.

Available in public libraries in Singapore! This book is gorgeous!