Immigrant, Montana

Blurring the line between fiction and nonfiction, this second novel from Vassar English professor/journalist Kumar (after Husband of a Fanatic) is a hybrid text (partly autobiographical) that moves seamlessly between Indian immigrant graduate student Kailash and numerous real-life figures and events. Kailash arrived in New York as a graduate student two decades previously, and his transformation from foreigner to citizen is reflected in his very name, adapted to Kalashnikov—an iconic Kumar irony because a Soviet assault weapon is more American than the holy pilgrimage site Kailash's name suggests—or truncated to the easier AK or just 47. Kumar explicates Kailash's "in-between" immigrant journey through his loves, his friends, and his mentors. In what is cleverly presented as a self-defense before an imaginary judge, Kailash recalls and challenges his memories, underscoring both his assimilation and his rebellion.