Borderless - By Namrata Poddar

I received Borderless as a gift from a friend back in 2022, and I finally thought of reading it in 2025. I'm so glad I did—this book is truly amazing! It's light, funny, and filled with everyday moments that are so relatable. Namrata Poddar has a great sense of humour and captures even serious situations in a way that makes them feel light and real, without taking away their meaning.

What I loved most was the simplicity of her writing—it's easy to read yet carries so much depth. I often found myself smiling, completely engrossed in the warmth and honesty of the stories.

At the centre of the book is Dia Mittal, a woman from Mumbai who works at an airline call centre and moves to California, bringing with her the dreams, habits, and chaos of her big Indian family. Around her are many colourful and familiar voices—maids, shopkeepers, strong-willed aunties, and young immigrants—each sharing their own emotional and humorous stories rooted in Indian culture.

The author brings to life small, meaningful moments—wedding gossip, long-distance calls, tea breaks, and late-night cravings for home food. But beyond these everyday snapshots, the book touches on deeper themes: our family expectations, chasing personal dreams, holding on to tradition, and starting over in a new country.

One part that hit close to home for me was how the book reflects the changing bond between cousins. As kids, cousins in Indian families often feel like best friends—we spend summers together, play endlessly, and share so much laughter. But as we grow older, education, career paths, or even family disputes can quietly separate us. That sense of drifting apart from people who were once such a big part of your childhood really resonated with me. It made me think of my own cousins and the special bond we still share. When you've grown up together, there's rarely a generation gap—just a lot of love and memories waiting to be cherished.

Namrata Poddar’s warm and playful writing makes every character feel like someone you already know. Their stories made me laugh, reflect, and at times feel a pain. Borderless beautifully captures the joy and messiness of building a life far from home, while still holding on to where you come from.

“It wasn’t a rocky road that was hard to walk on, it was the feeling that one walked it alone.”

AS: Happy Reading! 😀

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