Blue Boy- Rakesh Satyal

My father is out playing tennis with a family friend. My mother is singing bhajans as she stirs daal. The master bathroom is all mine. Involuntarily, I sputter the theme from Mission: Impossible. But this mission is far from impossible; I have succeeded at it time and again, so the only impossible mission seems to be not wanting to put on makeup.

Kiran’s parents ignore the oddities that, combined, constitute his charming personality; his classmates shun him altogether. Kiran is accustomed to amusing himself: putting on his mother’s makeup, playing with the Strawberry Shortcake dolls he secretly buys with his allowance, and practicing ballet in the kitchen. But when Kiran tires of the painful isolation, he concludes there is higher purpose to his difference—that in fact, he is an incarnation of Krishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu. He decides to emulate the habits of the revered deity and realize his full potential in life-- a noble endeavor that involves blue eyeshadow, a recorder, and a tub of Country Crock.

The writing is delicious--adept, playful, and clever. So much so that you don’t realize your heart is breaking until it’s too late.

We should have seen it coming. Heck, Kiran should have seen it coming. His peers are incredibly cruel. His parents are not perfect, as much as they love their son. Kiran cannot suppress his differences, or his mortal wishes for love and acceptance. But while other books have left me wondering “why the hell did he do that?” after the protagonist does something stupid, Kiran often admits that he should have known better but he just couldn’t help himself. And, frankly, as a sensitive, closeted, second-generation Indian sixth-grade boy at a mostly-white school in the midwest, his survival is such a thing of wonder that one cannot question his methods.

This book is extraordinary, both for the affection-inspiring main character and the assuredness and flair of his narrative voice. I also appreciate the cultural backdrop of the story, which neither exoticizes nor exploits.

Although Kiran is a sixth-grader, this book is recommended for an older audience on account of a description of, among other things, a Hustler centerspread.