Well I haven’t checked back with my LGBT book club since Ghost Wife but from what I can tell they haven’t even picked a second book yet. So I went to my dope dealer (read:Amazon) in search for some good lesbian literature. After scrolling past pages and pages of lesbian erotica (or something), I came across a book cover without a half naked woman on it and stopped my search. Yep, that’s exactly how I ended up reading The Sitar by Rebecca Idris

Plot Snapshot: The Sitar is a glimpse into the lives of several Muslim South Asian 20 somethings in London. The main character was a self-described ‘Lassi Lesbian’ whose dual life was the center of the book.

I wanted to like this one… I did. I was looking forward to getting an insight into their culture, especially since the author herself is a South Asian lesbian. Unfortunately, it was weighed down by an exhausting writing style… flat characters… and just… sigh. It literally took me a month to get through it. I just wasn’t compelled to read more than a few pages at a time.

Despite itself there were some good parts. It was interesting to see the parallels between the sentiments expressed by the many of the characters, and those I have expressed in my head (and sometimes on this blog). The inner fight between one’s conservative upbringing and personal desires can be daunting. I definitely found myself “Amening” a few times. The most engaging part of the book was the end. No, not because it was especially well written or because it was inspirational. It was realistic… and that was refreshing enough to leave an impression.