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The Golden Son: A Novel Audiobook
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Publisher Description
The New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of Secret Daughter returns with an unforgettable story of family, responsibility, love, honor, tradition, and identity, in which two childhood friends—a young doctor and a newly married bride—must balance the expectations of their culture and their families with the desires of their own hearts.
The first of his family to go to college, Anil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family’s expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas, at one of the busiest and most competitive hospitals in America. When his father dies, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village’s disputes. But he is uneasy with the custom, uncertain that he has the wisdom and courage demonstrated by his father and grandfather. His doubts are compounded by the difficulties he discovers in adjusting to a new culture and a new job, challenges that will shake his confidence in himself and his abilities.
Back home in India, Anil’s closest childhood friend, Leena, struggles to adapt to her demanding new husband and relatives. Arranged by her parents, the marriage shatters Leena’s romantic hopes, and eventually forces her to make a desperate choice that will hold drastic repercussions for herself and her family. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more—changing them both and the people they love forever.
Tender and bittersweet, The Golden Son illuminates the ambivalence of people caught between past and present, tradition and modernity, duty and choice; the push and pull of living in two cultures, and the painful decisions we must make to find our true selves.
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“Narrator Sunil Malhotra is superb with every voice and accent, whether male or female, Indian, American, or Australian. Malhotra captures each character’s voice perfectly as Anil faces culture shock, the extreme fatigue of medical school, and family expectations. His character portrayals bring out the humor, sadness, or danger of each situation…it’s obvious that Malhotra is fully capable of rendering complex emotions.’
— AudioFile
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“Vivid, heart-warming, and absorbing, The Golden Son succeeds as an immigrant’s tale and love story wrapped into one because of the beautiful writing and compelling characters that illuminate universal truths of loss and identity.”
— Heidi W. Durrow, New York Times bestselling author -
“The Golden Son triumphs because of its many pleasures and complications: romantic intrigues, family vendettas, unexpected tragedies, and criminal secrets harbored by characters in both India and America.”
— Washington Post -
“Gowda can write up moments that break your heart…The Golden Son combines the immigrant novel with a fascination for the insecure and dependent lives of rural women in India. The book does not finish with the most predictable ending, but a version of happily ever after does take place. And yes, it evoked a few tears, too.”
— Globe and Mail (Toronto) -
“A heartfelt look at the nature of love, family, and the consequences of choice…Gowda masterfully develops place and characters with visual richness…[and] is bound to elicit both laughter and tears.”
— Washington Independent Review of Books -
“Gowda has the writerly chops when it comes to pace and plot…The novel’s denouement manages to subvert expectations, while still fulfilling the fable’s responsibility to convey a useful, resonant truth.”
— Toronto Star (Canada) -
“Gowda is a gifted storyteller, bringing together various related story strands into a fully integrated whole.”
— Vancouver Sun (Canada) -
“A page-turner and a fast read…Gowda’s characters are beautifully and subtly drawn…It was five years in the making and well worth the wait.”
— Winnipeg Free Press (Canada) -
“A sensitive and intelligent work…[that] demonstrates Gowda’s abilities as a sympathetic observer of heart and mind.”
— National Post (Toronto)
The Golden Son Listener Reviews
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4/17/2023
About Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Shilpi Somaya Gowda is the author of several novels that became international bestsellers, selling over two million copies worldwide, in over thirty languages. She holds degrees from Stanford University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain scholar. She was born and raised in Toronto, Canada.
About Sunil Malhotra
Sunil Malhotra is an actor and voice artist. His film credits include Dude, Where’s the Party?, Call Center, 24, ER, Cold Case, and The West Wing. On stage, he has performed on Broadway and at East West Players. He has also worked as a writer, producer, and director, and his audiobook narrations have won three AudioFile Earphones Awards.