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The Subtweet
by
"Biting and beautiful." -- Jonny Sun, author of everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too
Everyone talks about falling in love, but falling in friendship can be just as captivating. When Neela Devaki's song is covered by internet-famous artist Rukmini, the two musicians meet and a transformative friendship begins.
But as Rukmini's star rises and Neela's stagnates, jealousy an ...more
Everyone talks about falling in love, but falling in friendship can be just as captivating. When Neela Devaki's song is covered by internet-famous artist Rukmini, the two musicians meet and a transformative friendship begins.
But as Rukmini's star rises and Neela's stagnates, jealousy an ...more
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Hardcover, 220 pages
Published
April 7th 2020
by ECW Press
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Subtweet

Mar 21, 2020
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bisexual,
south-asian,
contemporary,
toronto,
fiction,
trans,
queer,
reading-in-colour,
5-stars,
trans-fem
I've been putting off reviewing this book because I feel like my words are inadequate in face of what an incredible piece of art it is and how thought-provoking and readable it was. Neela and Rukmini are two South Asian Canadian women musicians (one trans, one cis *edit--one is confirmed trans, the other not specified, so I shouldn't assume!) who form a friendship when Rukmini an emerging artist, covers one of the more established artist Neela's songs.
The story investigates brown female friendsh ...more
The story investigates brown female friendsh ...more

A fast-paced satirical novel charting the rise and fall of a friendship between two South Asian singers, whose careers become inextricably linked through social media. The surreal plot takes several sudden turns and swiftly takes on so many topics, from white liberals’ performative allyship to the music industry’s abuse of artists of color, but at its core the story’s a sharp exploration of what it means to create art as a brown person working within a white supremacist society.

A fast-paced novel filled with complexity about friendship, race, and art. The Subtweet follows Neela Devaki and Rukmini, two South Asian musicians who are brought together when Rukmini’s cover of Neela’s song “Every Song” goes viral. The two differ in personality yet form a close friendship despite Neela’s more reclusive tendencies and Rukmini’s extroversion. However, when Rukmini starts to accumulate more success as an artist, Neela posts a subtweet that catapults the direction of their friend
...more

Subtweet is an energetic novel surrounding two brown musicians (Neela and Rukmini), illustrating how they come together, their eventual close friendship, and ultimate falling out over a twitter feud.
The strength of this novel lies in its connectedness. Shraya expertly builds up "the music scene", the culture and lifestyle of struggling musicians, and brings every piece of music to life in her pages. In fact, you can listen to music from The Subtweet once the book releases! A merciless examinati ...more
The strength of this novel lies in its connectedness. Shraya expertly builds up "the music scene", the culture and lifestyle of struggling musicians, and brings every piece of music to life in her pages. In fact, you can listen to music from The Subtweet once the book releases! A merciless examinati ...more

This novel surpassed my already high expectations. I loved it, I didn't want it to end, I miss it now.
...more

Feb 15, 2021
Alice Lippart
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2021,
contemporary-fiction
Quite an interesting story about female friendship. Really liked the social media aspect.

Predictably, I fell in love with this book in just a few pages. Sharp, thoughtful, complex, and truly wonderful - this book is a work of art.
Vivek captures the complexities of (brown) women’s friendship, the sharp edges of professional jealousy, the mercurial nature of the internet, and the essence of what it means to be a woman of colour who is also an artist.
She has written some incredible, fierce, multi-dimensional, flawed, and wonderful characters - in Neela and Rukmini, as well as in the s ...more
Vivek captures the complexities of (brown) women’s friendship, the sharp edges of professional jealousy, the mercurial nature of the internet, and the essence of what it means to be a woman of colour who is also an artist.
She has written some incredible, fierce, multi-dimensional, flawed, and wonderful characters - in Neela and Rukmini, as well as in the s ...more

Jan 14, 2020
Shealea
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
recommended,
arc-review

I loved this read that starts with one musician covering the song of another, and how that leads to a friendship until one becomes much more famous than the other. It's about friendship and cultural appropriation. The author does a fantastic job showing how relationships are complicated with texts and social media, and how music can unite and divide. Shraya posted the song as she envisioned it as well as the cover version; you can also listen to the audiobook of this book via her account in Spot
...more

Wow. I learned so much about the music industry!
Review to come!
Review to come!

Vivek Shraya's "The Subtweet," a fictional tale of the woes of communication in an age of social media, is at times too true and at other times not true enough.
Rukmini bursts onto the music scene when she produces a Youtube pop cover of a song by Neela Devaki. An act that initiates a friendship quickly unfolds into a cautionary tale about indirect communication in a world controlled by white supremacy. Following the lives of four brown women, each part of this book gives life to elements of the ...more
Rukmini bursts onto the music scene when she produces a Youtube pop cover of a song by Neela Devaki. An act that initiates a friendship quickly unfolds into a cautionary tale about indirect communication in a world controlled by white supremacy. Following the lives of four brown women, each part of this book gives life to elements of the ...more

An interesting packaged narrative showcasing brown women tackling the creative space, being inspired by each other, building each other, and a deeper look into how they navigate the complex world of social media, ultimately opening up a whole lot of questions in regards to representation and identity. It felt like a long tweeter thread with so many angles, voices, misunderstandings that didn't hold that much urgency to me. Did enjoy the friendship aspect, the passion each character presented, an
...more

Nov 18, 2020
Tara
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2020,
reviewed-at-lambda
The writing itself is deft and incisive, propelling the reader through every event and conversation at lightning speed. At the same time, The Subtweet’s story is incredibly layered, asking a number of questions without necessarily coming to any answers. Who are creators of colour creating their art for? Should they be trying to achieve a certain level of commercial success? If they want to live off their art, how much of that depends on creating for (or perhaps pandering to) white audiences? Is
...more

did i read this 2 + 1/2 hours before one of my exams? yes
should i not have considering it was an exam on a paper i am not doing well in? yes
do i regret spending all that time reading this book instead of, idk, studying? fuck NO
i really enjoyed this, and i'm excited to pick up Shraya's other book I'm Afraid of Men, which i've heard is a m a z i n g. but for this read, i really loved all the topics and commentary that was made: on making music, specifically when the musician is BIPOC, social medi ...more
should i not have considering it was an exam on a paper i am not doing well in? yes
do i regret spending all that time reading this book instead of, idk, studying? fuck NO
i really enjoyed this, and i'm excited to pick up Shraya's other book I'm Afraid of Men, which i've heard is a m a z i n g. but for this read, i really loved all the topics and commentary that was made: on making music, specifically when the musician is BIPOC, social medi ...more

"If you are free, you are not predictable…"
TW: racism, anxiety
Unpopular Opinion Time 🐸☕️
Actual rating: 2.5 ⭐️
Please do not attack me. This book was simply not for me.
My rating should definitely not stop you if you are interested in reading this novel.
The real, shameful problem was that I simply did not care.
The cover is breathtaking, but even if the synopsis sounds delightful I was not particularly a fan of this book.
But first thing first, allow me to try and keep this Rather Random Review™️ a ...more
TW: racism, anxiety
Unpopular Opinion Time 🐸☕️
Actual rating: 2.5 ⭐️
Please do not attack me. This book was simply not for me.
My rating should definitely not stop you if you are interested in reading this novel.
The real, shameful problem was that I simply did not care.
The cover is breathtaking, but even if the synopsis sounds delightful I was not particularly a fan of this book.
But first thing first, allow me to try and keep this Rather Random Review™️ a ...more

Oct 12, 2020
Molly Ferguson
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-books,
world-lit
I loved that this book was about friendship and fame in the internet age--I'm so interested in how social media is shaping relationships and Shraya does an excellent job of chronicling that. I found the book very funny at first, and then the humor kind of dissipated, and the narration was a little inconsistent. The commentary about making art in a white supremacist culture machine was fascinating!
...more

2.5 stars
This book isn't bad by any means, so please don't let my rating as a sign that you shouldn't read this because I feel like that rating is definitely a problem with me and not at all a problem with the book. I really wanted to enjoy this and I'm so disappointed that I didn't.
My main issue with this book is that I just did not care about any of it. Neela annoyed me for most of the first half of the book and while she somewhat grew on me in the second half of the story, I still couldn't f ...more
This book isn't bad by any means, so please don't let my rating as a sign that you shouldn't read this because I feel like that rating is definitely a problem with me and not at all a problem with the book. I really wanted to enjoy this and I'm so disappointed that I didn't.
My main issue with this book is that I just did not care about any of it. Neela annoyed me for most of the first half of the book and while she somewhat grew on me in the second half of the story, I still couldn't f ...more

PLEASE READ THIS BOOK, you won't regret it.
Oh my, what a pleasant surprise this was.
This is a story about friendships, coming together and falling apart. About jealousy, fame and creativity, self-love and pride.
The issues this book tackled are so well approached: what is it like, to be a Brown woman in the North American music industry? Why are women of color always put in competition, as if they couldn't coexist, together, at the front of the main scene? How can you love someone, wishing them ...more
Oh my, what a pleasant surprise this was.
This is a story about friendships, coming together and falling apart. About jealousy, fame and creativity, self-love and pride.
The issues this book tackled are so well approached: what is it like, to be a Brown woman in the North American music industry? Why are women of color always put in competition, as if they couldn't coexist, together, at the front of the main scene? How can you love someone, wishing them ...more

This book does some interesting things. I enjoyed the stripped-down, bare-bones format that focused mainly on forwarding the plot. Shraya uses it to conduct a nuanced examination of fame, culture, activism, relationships, and social media's impact on all of the above. It took on some hard questions and offered perspective on fallible characters. This was a thought-provoking reading experience in multiple ways.
#DeweysApril #readathon ...more
#DeweysApril #readathon ...more

This story about the 1) start and end of a friendship between two South Asian women living in Toronto. It’s also 2) an examination of the ways brown women are ignored, diminished, forgotten, used by not only the music industry but generally by the dominant, white culture. And how ally-ship can be performative, thoughtless and belittling, rather than what it needs to be.
The main characters weren’t precisely likeable, and, were consequently much more believable in their need for validation, creati ...more
The main characters weren’t precisely likeable, and, were consequently much more believable in their need for validation, creati ...more

I enjoyed Subtweet, reading about the friendship between two south asian female artists was wonderful. This was the first Vivek Shraya book I've read, and will be picking up more. The balance and contrast between reserved and outwardly brown women was real and relatable. It's a very fast paced novel and kept me engaged throughout. The ending felt a bit abrupt but overall still a great read.
...more

Review a bit later IY"H, because I still need to listen to the OST (yes, there is an OST!!).
_____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library ...more
_____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library ...more

ok wow... what an incredible ride this was. parts of this book were so uncomfortable to read because it was so much like having a real conversation/conflict with my friends in the era of being terminally online, and navigating visibility/publicity that can't be separated from the white gaze. upon starting this, i first assumed that it was "basically" the story of a dissolving friendship between two south asian women artists, and it frustrated me to watch the tension between them building from mu
...more

I loved this novel because it is about the messiness of friendship. It felt extremely refreshing to read a relationship-focused novel that was about friends rather than a romantic relationship. It also contained very relatable social media anxieties, such as the implications of a subtweet. I wish we had seen more of the growth and evolution of Neela and Rukmini's friendship (it feels like we go from meet-cute to besties pretty quickly), but I thought it was a very successful and thought-provokin
...more

this is my first vivek shraya book and although i was a little intimidated by this book (mostly in terms of if i would get it or not lol) i actually enjoyed it a lot. i found myself wanting to find a happy ending between neela and rukmini but seeing as how the book end leaving it open i was more than satisfied. as someone who enjoys primarily female musicians and understanding how the media and the industry itself pits women against each other constantly seeing this journey was fascinating. i al
...more

Amazing work. My words can only summarize *hands gestures* *collapse*

--- DNF @ 126 pages ---
My Rating: 2 stars
Neela is tired of hearing songs about falling in love. So when she finds out that rising star Rukmini covers her song, they fall into friendship instead. When Rukmini gets more recognition for a cover of a song that's Neela's and gets an offer to tour, headlining said song, jealousy and doubt come in. With a single tweet, their friendship is turned to dust and they find themselves in the middle of an internet firestorm.
My Breakdown:
- The reason why ...more
My Rating: 2 stars
Neela is tired of hearing songs about falling in love. So when she finds out that rising star Rukmini covers her song, they fall into friendship instead. When Rukmini gets more recognition for a cover of a song that's Neela's and gets an offer to tour, headlining said song, jealousy and doubt come in. With a single tweet, their friendship is turned to dust and they find themselves in the middle of an internet firestorm.
My Breakdown:
- The reason why ...more

This was a really interesting meditation on modern friendship and how social media shapes the connections we make and preserve — the way social media only shows a fraction of the truth, the jealousy it can cause, the conflicts that can arise from poor communication, etc.
I really liked both main characters here, though I think they could have been a little more fleshed out. I was also very intrigued by the music scene, which felt authentic. The artistry within Rukmini and Neela’s storylines was ...more
I really liked both main characters here, though I think they could have been a little more fleshed out. I was also very intrigued by the music scene, which felt authentic. The artistry within Rukmini and Neela’s storylines was ...more
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Vivek Shraya
is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, and film. She is the author of The Subtweet, Death Threat, even this page is white, The Boy & The Bindi, She of the Mountains, and God Loves Hair; and her best-selling I’m Afraid of Men was heralded by Vanity Fair as “cultural rocket fuel”. She is one half of the music duo Too Attac
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This June, as we observe LGBTQ Pride—the annual celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning communities—we...
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“Unlike many artists, she had never considered herself a mere vessel for the muse, or a medium, or even a parent. Her songs weren't her "babies". Her songs were her.”
—
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“What was it about whiteness that seemed to elicit an infinite spring of faith and second chances?”
—
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