Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand and Tara Anand has several potential triggers. They include (but are not limited to): self-harm, alcohol consumption, sexual context, suicidal thoughts, bullying, mental health, suicide attempt, and cultural situations/responses.
Despite the issues, or maybe because of them, this is actually a fantastic story about how mental health is “hidden” even when it is right in front of you. The idea of being the “perfect Indian girl”, the idea of the “favorite son,” the idea of family and honor, and more, makes a familiar story into a fresh point of view. The theme, of course, is one that YA novels/graphic novels cover a lot. But it is one that we need to keep writing about so we can talk about it.
The idea is simple: our main character is not “Indian” enough for her family; nor “American” enough for her friends. She “takes the fun” out of things, so she overcompensates by binge drinking and self harms. She tries to date, have friends and live, but is always being judged by her family, so she overcompensates by partying and self-harm. The dynamics of a community and culture and how one person tries to navigate it is outlined. I noticed a few comments that are not commented on by the author, but they show how even the mother of this story has ingrained biases (she asks why the daughter and her male friend are outside “getting dark”) so there is a lot to unpack (I was only aware of this due to other books and movies I have read/seen).
Overall, it seems easy, and on some level it is, but there is more to this story than at first glance. I read via an online reader copy and it is due mid-May 2025.