The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob is a family saga that follows the Eapen family, Indian immigrants living in the US, over the span of several decades. The story revolves around Amina, the daughter of Thomas and Kamala, as she navigates through family struggles, grief, and cultural identity. The narrative jumps between different time periods and settings, exploring the complexities of family relationships and the journey of self-discovery.

Characters:

The characters are richly drawn, each embodying unique perspectives that reflect the broader themes of family, loss, and cultural heritage.

Writing/Prose:

The writing is characterized by its humor and rich descriptions, bringing characters and their experiences to life while engaging the reader emotionally.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative centers on an immigrant Indian family, showcasing their struggles with cultural identity, loss, and family relationships, through various time frames.

Setting:

The story unfolds in both India and New Mexico, immersing readers in the cultural nuances of the characters' lives.

Pacing:

The pacing varies throughout the novel, balancing character exploration with plot development while occasionally feeling a bit slow.

But what a calamity! An abomination! Divorced from the mother and the motherland in one fell swoop? Who could have seen such a thing coming? Certainly not Amina, who by age eleven was well versed enou...

Notes:

The main character, Amina, is a photographer living in 1998 Seattle, who returns to her home in New Mexico due to concerns about her father's mental health.

The book explores themes of family, identity, and the struggles of Indian immigrants in America.

Amina's father, Thomas, is a neurosurgeon who starts talking to deceased family members, prompting Amina's return.

The story includes flashbacks to Amina's childhood in the 1980s and her family's past in India.

The novel is noted for its use of vibrant imagery, particularly in its descriptions of landscapes and cultural elements, like Indian food and traditions.

The title of the book references the concept of sleepwalking, which symbolizes characters' unconscious actions and emotions.

The author, Mira Jacob, took over ten years to complete this novel, reflecting the depth and complexity of its themes.

The book balances humor and tragedy, often showcasing the quirks and challenges of familial relationships.

Amina's journey is not just about returning home, but also about dealing with her family's grief and the impact of loss.

The narrative shifts between different time periods and settings, which adds layers to the characters and their stories.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Medium content warnings include themes of grief, mental health issues, and references to death.

Has Romance?

The book includes a medium level of romance, particularly in Amina's interactions and relationships.

From The Publisher:

A winning, irreverent debut novel about a family wrestling with its future and its past—for readers of J. Courtney Sullivan, Meg Wolitzer, Mona Simpson, and Jhumpa Lahiri NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE BOSTON GLOBE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, BUSTLE, AND EMILY GOULD, THE MILLIONS With depth, heart, and agility, debut novelist Mira Jacob takes us on a deftly plotted journey that ranges from 1970s India to suburban 1980s New Mexico to Seattle during the dot.com boom.

The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing is an epic, irreverent testimony to the bonds of love, the pull of hope, and the power of making peace with life’s uncertainties. Celebrated brain surgeon Thomas Eapen has been sitting on his porch, talking to dead relatives.

At least that is the story his wife, Kamala, prone to exaggeration, tells their daughter, Amina, a photographer living in Seattle. Reluctantly Amina returns home and finds a situation that is far more complicated than her mother let on, with roots in a trip the family, including Amina’s rebellious brother Akhil, took to India twenty years earlier.

Confronted by Thomas’s unwillingness to explain himself, strange looks from the hospital staff, and a series of puzzling items buried in her mother’s garden, Amina soon realizes that the only way she can help her father is by coming to terms with her family’s painful past.

In doing so, she must reckon with the ghosts that haunt all of the Eapens. Praise for The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing “With wit and a rich understanding of human foibles, Jacob unspools a story that will touch your heart.”—People “Optimistic, unpretentious and refreshingly witty.”—Associated Press “By turns hilarious and tender and always attuned to shifts of emotion .

. . [Jacob’s] characters shimmer with life.”—Entertainment Weekly “A rich, engrossing debut told with lightness and care.”—The Kansas City Star “[A] sprawling, poignant, often humorous novel . . . Told with humor and sympathy for its characters, the book serves as a bittersweet lesson in the binding power of family, even when we seek to break out from it.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “Moving forward and back in time, Jacob balances comedy and romance with indelible sorrow.

. . . When her plot springs surprises, she lets them happen just as they do in life: blindsidingly right in the middle of things.”—The Boston Globe

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