Dava Shastri's Last Day 4.5⭐️/5
Dava Shastri's Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti
4.5⭐️/5
I imagined more fluff? Less heart? More style over substance as Paul Hollywood on Great British Bake-off would say?
I was WRONG. Though this book flashes back on the glamorous (but not always perfect) life of world-famous philanthropist and billionaire, Dava Shastri, this book is provocative, heartfelt, reflective, and a compelling exploration of family.
Having devoted her life to using her billions to support worthwhile causes around the world, Dava Shastri reaches age 70 and receives a terminal brain cancer diagnosis. Rather than going out on someone else’s terms, Dava decides to arrange for news of her death to break early so she can read her obituaries. She calls her family to their private island for reasons not yet disclosed.
However, though Dava expects to read articles celebrating her life’s work, her “death” reveals two devastating secrets, truths from a past she never thought would affect her future.
One surprising element I enjoyed in this novel was its very real love of music and Dava’s lifelong connection to it. The author was thoughtful in her references to songs over the years, and that paired with her analysis of celebrity culture created a rich dynamic to the Shastri family that I wasn’t expecting.
This is a powerful intergenerational story of past resentment, secrets, trauma, legacy, and redemption. Though the pacing could have been tighter and the characters slightly underdeveloped, I really enjoyed this one and thoughtfulness of the writing and exploration of Dava’s complicated life superb.
Read If:
♛ You enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but want a more modern heroine + more family drama
♛ You love a book *despite* it’s complicated characters and their choices, not everyone you encounter is likable
♛ You enjoy watching: Succession, Crazy Rich Asians, The Family Stone or any wealthy (or matriarchal) family drama
♛ You can imagine a world with a badass, South Asian cagillionaire who created a philanthropy/foundation we can only WISH exists in 2044