Brian Plunkett reviewed Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
Western Lane - 4 Stars
4 stars
(Read in 2023) It took some time for me to adjust to the spareness of the writing (especially after some of the other things I've read recently, like Demon Copperhead), but I think it worked well and helped convey Gopi's experience with grief, adolescence, family and cultural tensions, and finding herself (and some comfort) in playing squash. I agree with various reviews I saw that described Maroo's writing as tender, graceful, elegant, and subtle. I enjoyed it, and the audiobook narration by Maya Saroya was very good. I thought that this NY Times review by former squash champion Ivy Pochoda was particularly interesting.