I feel like the latter third of the book or so felt rushed. Sindu weaves in commentaries about sexual fluidity, casteism, and colorism throughout the book in meaningful ways that did not feel overbearing. Kalki’s father aptly represented patriarchal control and domination.
SJ Sindu does an excellent job of embodying Kalki’s perspective, both his innocence as well as his growth in perspective as he gains bits of exposure into worlds outside of his own. I found the first part of this novel a riveting exploration of the impact of psychological manipulation, both from parent to child as well as from broader swaths of society too.
However, as Kalki grows older, he begins to question the rigid religious life his father created for him, with severe consequences both for Kalki and for those he loves. The book starts by following Kalki in his youth as he uses his powers to heal people and confronts three trials to prove himself as the tenth human incarnation of Vishnu. Traveling from India to the underground rock scene of New York City, Blue-Skinned Gods explores ethnic, gender, and sexual identities, and spans continents and faiths, in an expansive and heartfelt look at the need for belief in our globally interconnected world.Ī fascinating novel set in Tamil Nadu, India, about a boy born with blue skin whose parents raise him to believe that he is a God. Over the next decade, his family unravels, and every relationship he relied on-father, mother, aunt, uncle, cousin-starts falling apart. While he seems to pass them, Kalki begins to question his divinity. In Kalki’s tenth year, he is confronted with three trials that will test his power and prove his divine status and, his father tells him, spread his fame worldwide.
His father sets up an ashram, and the family makes a living off of the pilgrims who seek the child’s blessings and miracles, believing young Kalki to be the tenth human incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. In Tamil Nadu, India, a boy is born with blue skin. From the award-winning author of Marriage of a Thousand Lies comes a brilliantly written, globe-spanning novel about identity, faith, family, and sexuality.
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