Kindle Edition The Blind Spot Amazon Category:  Mainstream Publisher: Self Type: Fiction Pages: 396 Copyright: Sep 21, 2012 The story of a tussle between Sam and Carl, half brothers who grow up at opposite ends of the world, unaware of each other's existence until fate pits them against each other in a war of attrition. Krishna grows up in Mumbai, and in the prime of his youth takes off for America on the heels of an impetuous act of folly, leaving behind unfinished business. There, in defiance of his cultural upbringing, he marries a white Christian woman with whom he has a son, Sam. Irrevocably cut off from his origins, he is determined to build a new life. Then fate deals a blow that plunges him into renewed despair. Back in Mumbai, Carl grows up without a father, and is consumed by an obsession to find out the truth about him. His mother, Nancy, fights her way out of a bad start, seeks solace in Bollywood, tries her hand at business, and is finding purpose in social activism. She has put her painful past to sleep, but Carl reawakens it when he discovers that the father he had been told was dead is very much alive, living in New Jersey with his son, Sam. Driven by rage, Carl sets out to punish Sam. As Carl pries open Sam's life in a bid to shatter it, they are drawn closer to each other until they come face to face in an explosive confrontation in Mumbai amid the terror attacks of 2008. The war of attrition waged by Carl on Sam, and its fallout, threatens to destroy a family long divided by betrayal, banishment, and a regrettable blindness to its failings. The Blind Spot will appeal to those who enjoyed Cutting For Stone and The Kite Runner. Excerpt I didn't see it coming until it was almost too late. Memories that had lain low in sepia-tinted dormancy took courage at my weakened state and sprang to life, speeding forward through time, laying every treasured event at my feet like they had happened yesterday. Except the people in those events were missing. My mom had long left me, and my dad was a different person, getting stranger by the day.

A Really Good Read (4 stars)
The Blind Spot is one of those books that draws you in and keeps you reading, and the suspense really builds at the end. Sesh Venugopal's writing is smooth and there is a nice assortment of characters who are realistic and believable. The characters and actions move between India and the US, which gives the reader a very interesting glimpse of life in Mumbai. It's also very interesting to see what it's like for Krishna to immigrate to the US from India, and to see what it's like for Sam to move to India after being raised in the US. The novel really illuminates the practical and emotional difficulties of immigration, even for a relatively privileged immigrant, that are mainly invisible to the non-immigrant.

The Blind Spot is a really good read and a strong contribution to the body of Indian American fiction.

Wonderful First Novel (5 stars)
Sesh Venugopal's novel is a modern day story, that takes place in America and India. I like the way he describes life in America looking through the eyes of Krishna, a young immigrant student who arrived from India. Through his son Sam we learn how a second generation immigrant views life being exposed to two different cultures. On the other hand Carl, Krishna's son who grew up in India brings vivid descriptions about life and customs in India. Carl is trying to make sense of the family history and his place in it through what he knows best: internet intricacies.
Sesh's novel allowed me to visualize almost all the scenes and get to know the characters as if I known them.
His writing style is conversational and he tells a good story.

Very worthwhile book
This is a wonderful book from which I couldn?t get pulled away despite a busy schedule.
The story is so compelling that I had to keep on reading. Yet the story is not the only
aspect of the book that makes it such a wonderful read: the style is rich in texture;
the characters are complex; the tone is warm; the themes are universal. Patti, for example,
is a wonderful character. One could make her out to be evil, but I don`t think that she is.
She is just the product of her generation and culture, adapting to a new set of circumstances,
perhaps quite poorly, but so humanly! While so traditionally Indian, she is, in fact, similar
to some characters which can be found in many other cultures. Her son Kris, alias Krishna,
alias Krishnamurthy, is another ``Oh so human`` character: weak, perhaps! Conflicted, certainly!
But also dragged into his predicament by forces that are, in many respects, stronger than he is.
Generally speaking, the three generations of characters are beautifully and, in my opinion, quite
accurately depicted, along with their internal, external and inter-generational sets of conflicts.
Altogether, this is a very worthwhile book that I highly recommend!