Men Like Ours - by Bindu Bansinath (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A propulsive, darkly funny and moving story of life and death in a South Asian suburb of New Jersey, from a brilliant new voice in fiction.

When Matthew Pillai, a friend to the suburban community of Willow Road, is found dead, slumped over the wheel of his BMW, the women in the neighborhood are roped into an investigation of his death by the local police.

At the center of the case are the Sharmas-Anita, a widow whose husband introduced Matthew to the neighborhood, and her boundary-pushing daughter, Leila, who called him Uncle. To Anita, who has been in freefall since her arrival in America as a young woman, Matthew's presence offers hope, including a promise of betterment for Leila. The truth, however, is far stranger.

In this darkly funny debut, the women of Willow Road find that despite their internecine quarrels, casual backstabbing, and generational feuds, in the end, there is no one to turn to but each other.

Review Quotes

"Bindu Bansinath has written the most promising debut I've read in decades. With humor dryer than an Englishman's martini and darker than a moonless night, she delivers a pitch perfect howl against the patriarchy, alongside the portrait of a community in crisis as vivid and complicated as anything out of Morrison or Naipaul." --Gary Shteyngart, author of VERA, OR FAITH and SUPER SAD TRUE LOVE STORY

"Men Like Ours is a wholly unpredictable ride, brimming with sharp characters I felt I knew intimately. These women, tucked within their deceptively quiet lives, are many things-surprising, acerbic, dramatic, humorous, exasperating, tragic, but each is ultimately impossible to ignore." --Parini Shroff, author of THE BANDIT QUEENS

"Men Like Ours is a gripping and gorgeous novel that, despite its title, is all about the curious and captivating women of Willow Road. For some, the collective voice of these women will be a riveting lesson on culture and the nuance of womanhood; for others, a warm welcome home. Navigating complex themes through dark humor, perpetual movement, and a stunning richness-filled with the tastes, sights, smells, sounds, and feels of a community both intimately familiar and distinctly unique-this brilliant debut will do more than introduce you to the women of Willow Road; it will transform you into one of them.
" --Kai Harris, author of WHAT THE FIREFLIES KNEW

"Bansinath is a gifted writer of close quarters, revealing in spare prose just how unsightly and how beautiful people can be up close. We see the skin flush, eyes moisten, and we can almost hear the creaky interior of human bodies." --Brandon Taylor

About the Author