Title: God in Drag

Author: Kristine Madera

Genre: Literary Fiction

 

Twenty years after his Indian guru-stepfather, Raj, deserted him and his mother in a California commune, Micah Connerly seeks answers that take him to northern India and the ancient City of Lord Shiva, Varanasi.

When a freak accident endangers Micah’s life, he remains in Varanasi, looking for Raj and helping at a hospice alongside three other volunteers. The four struggle to keep their secrets from one another, and as Micah’s search for Raj intensifies, he begins to uncover the truth beneath all the philosophy and illusion.

Most of God in Drag is set in Varanasi in 1998, although Madera uses several flashbacks to California twenty years earlier, which are beautifully interwoven. The novel is written from Micah’s perspective, and from the opening, his voice compels, carrying a raw-edged intimacy that pulses with observation, memory, anxiety, and hope.

At the beginning of the novel, he struggles to channel or understand the anger that simmers within him, drawing the reader along as he re-examines old wounds and discovers new ones.

Complex and contradictory, Micah is a study in contrasts, mirroring the conflicting attributes of Shiva, the Hindu God so intrinsic to Varanasi. It’s a wonderfully layered portrayal that is deeply human and, consequently, relatable.

Indeed, although the novel’s primary thrust appears to be Micah’s pursuit of Raj, it soon becomes clear that, subliminally, a more psychologically tangled quest involving unresolved issues with his biological father and his own self-awareness is also underway.

Varanasi is central to Micah’s journey of actualization. Madera paints the antediluvian city in rich, esoteric colors through her elegant, otherworldly prose. The inhabitants’ reliance, and Micah’s, on submerging in the rank viscosity of the Ganges for morning ablutions is both fascinating and repellent, and Madera brings the Holy River into oily, sinuous life.

It’s completely immersive. Madera’s writing is richly descriptive, emotionally resonant, and observant, lending God in Drag the feel of a captivating, well-informed travel memoir in the early stages.

However, beneath the vibrant spiritualism and devout Hinduism, there is a sense of lurking dread and suspicion along the ghats and in the backstreets of Varanasi that Madera ensures feeds into Micah’s internal struggles, which are heightened by the sinister presence of Aji, a local pimp and drug-dealer.

Micah’s voluntary work at the Charitable Heart Hospice is alongside Kate, Amy, and Thad. All are damaged, flawed individuals who hide their vulnerabilities behind tentative threads of personal symbolism. Madera is not afraid to depict each of them at their most exposed and unpredictable. The relationships that develop among the four are absorbing and read with authenticity.

Kate, especially, is shrouded in mystery. She, like Micah, is complicated and a careful study in submersion. However, her occasional lack of accountability can be a little irksome. Additionally, the arrival of her much-lauded yet mysterious fiancé, Darrin, is anticlimactic. Nonetheless, Kate’s trajectory, along with her nuanced and convincing connection with Micah, becomes engrossing.

Throughout, Madera keeps the reader guessing about Raj, laying false trails and obscuring the truth while revealing small clues about his whereabouts. It’s nicely perplexing, and the poignant outcome is smart and credible.

The hunt for Raj runs parallel to a life-changing medical condition that Micah might have inadvertently contracted. This becomes important toward the end but remains unresolved. It can be a touch unsatisfying for the reader, although the ambiguity complements the novel’s fluidity and Micah’s mercurial personality.

Madera has produced a wondrously evocative novel, rich in mysticism and psychological drama. Vivid, well-written, and featuring a clever, twisting story driven by intriguing characters who capture the reader’s attention, God in Drag is a mesmerizingly good read.

 

 

This Editorial Review was written by the Book Review Directory staff. To receive a similarly honest, professional review for one of your own books, click here.