Our Best Intentions

by Vibhuti Jain

A suspenseful drama about an immigrant family caught in a criminal investigation, perfect for readers of Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You.

“Our Best Intentions is a thoughtful, gripping suspense that shakes up definitions of family and identity in a beautiful and refreshing way!” —Kal Penn, actor and national bestselling author

During summer break one day, Angie, the teenage daughter of Indian immigrant Babur Singh, is walking home after swimming at the high school pool when she finds Henry McCleary, a white classmate from a wealthy family, stabbed and bleeding on the football field. The police immediately focus their investigation on Chiara Thompkins, a runaway Black girl who disappears after the stabbing and—it’s later discovered—wasn’t properly enrolled in the public high school.

The incident sends shock waves through the community and reveals jarring truths about the lengths to which families will go to protect themselves. Alternating between multiple perspectives, Our Best Intentions is a gripping story about a father and daughter re-examining their familial bonds and place in the community that explores how easily friendships, careers, communities, and individual lives can unravel when the toxicity of privilege and racial bias are exposed.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller, Audiobook, Race, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 14, 2023

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I feel super torn between three and four stars for this book, so even though I’m lowering to three please keep that in mind! The novel follows Angie, a high school swimmer who comes across an affluent white boy, Henry, lying bleeding on a football field, stabbed and bleeding. She calls the police for help, and soon enough a young Black girl, Chiara, is accused of having hurt Henry. Angie is torn trying to figure out her place in the politics of what has happened, all while navigating dynamics related to her out of touch father and absent mother.

I’ll start with the pros. I found Our Best Intentions relatively well-written and a page-turner. I was invested in knowing what would happen next both on a plot level and on a character development level (e.g., how will Angie come more into her identity or politics or not?) The book does a nice job of conveying themes related to Indian Americans’ place in the racial hierarchy of the United States, the pull between assimilating to white supremacy and wealth versus taking a stand against anti-Blackness and racism. I liked how Vibhuti Jain exposed the toxicity and the power of white privilege and how she didn’t let Angie off the hook for her silence. The novel also had some interesting themes about generational divides between Asian immigrant parents and their children.

My main critique is that while the book was a good read for sure, I didn’t feel like it particularly excelled in any area. First, while I liked the relationship between Angie and her father and how they grew, I felt that the characterization or the writing about their dynamics could have gone even deeper (perhaps this could have manifested if Jain did not include so many different points of view in the novel.) I also felt odd about the Black girl’s suffering being used in a way to advance the Indian American character’s self-growth? While I don’t think Jain wielded that plot device in a horrible way, something about it didn’t feel completely satisfying or unproblematic to me. I’m still mulling it over! Overall, an okay novel that kept my interest even if it’s not one of my top books of the year.

[Anne Bogel]

Reviewed in the April 2023 edition of Quick Lit on Modern Mrs Darcy:

This riveting and heartbreaking new drama revolves around a stabbing on a high school campus in well-heeled and predominantly white Westchester County, New York. The story benefits from Jain's skillful unwinding (and escalation) of the narrative: an encroaching storm heightens the tension, and the multiple points of view are devastatingly effective. (I gasped aloud at one point when the perspective shifted—and I was suddenly inside the mind of the victim's creepy friend, who was about to reveal all the secrets he'd been keeping.) As the police search for the perpetrator, and the whole community tries to control the narrative that explains WHY this crime was committed, Jain examines how each character's fears and motivations are shaded by privilege, race, and, status, and how their best intentions compel them to obfuscate what really happened.

[Jean Kwok · Rating 5 out of 5]

With subtlety, humor and piercing insight, Vibuti Jain creates a propulsive page-turner that will touch your heart. This is a gorgeous and complex exploration of race, immigration and class wrapped up in a thrilling story you won't be able to put down. A must-read!

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

TITLE: OUR BEST INTENTIONS
AUTHOR: Vibhuti Jain
PUB DATE: 03.14.2023

Named a Must-Read by USA Today!

A suspenseful drama about an immigrant family caught in a criminal investigation, perfect for readers of Everything I Never Told You.

THOUGHTS:

I have been spending day and night with Vibhuti Jain’s debut novel, OUR BEST INTENTIONS, and I am not mad about it. It’s been an intense and suspenseful read about a crime committed that upends a privileged community revealing prejudice, injustice, and discrimination. In its heart is the beautiful relationship of an Indian father and daughter, that is complex, relatable, and very real.

I loved this book!

[Jessica Paige (Exercise_Read_Repeat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Angie is walking home from swim practice she finds her best friend’s brother stabbed and hurt on the school’s football field. Now stuck in the middle of an investigation, Angie and her father start to reexamine their place in the community they always called home.

This was a strong debut with great character development and a timely plot. I loved the format as each chapter was written by a different person somewhat related to the incident that occurred at the school and while there were some POVs that I personally did not care much about, I appreciated how these chapters escalated the tension of the plot and added in suspense. I think this would make an excellent story to read with my High School students as the author dived into important themes such as the struggle with assimilation, class divide, acceptance, privilege and doing the right there when it’s not the easy option. Despite these strong points, I found some of the writing to be a bit repetitive and there were too many questions left unanswered at the end.

Read if you like:
-Stories about immigrant families
-A diverse cast of characters
-Alternating perspectives 
-Father/daughter relationships
-Everything I Never Told You

Thank you William Morrow for the ARC! Pub date 3/14/23

[Dorothy Chang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a riveting page-turner! It felt like every line of this book was both beautifully descriptive as well as important to advancing and escalating the tension of the plot. Additionally, by switching between characters’ perspectives, the book helps you to truly understand their thoughts, feelings, motivations and internal conflict. As a daughter of Asian immigrants, I felt the portraits and struggles of each family member resonated with me deeply. Readers who haven’t lived those experiences will get a closer understanding of those perspectives and inter-generational dynamics than ever before. Vibhuti Jain accomplished quite the feat by writing both a meaty and very fast-paced read.

[Nippun Goyal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a must read!
A searing portrait of a father and daughter struggling to fit in, be better and understand one another against the backdrop of complex social, class and racial division.

[Sera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read about an Indian girl, Angie, and her father, Bobby, who find themselves in the midst of a murder investigation resulting from Angie witnessing the crime that involved the alleged stabbing of a white teen by an African-American classmate.

Jain did a nice job of integrating the immigrant experience in the story and contrasting it with the upper class, primarily white community within which they live. I found the relationship between Angie and Bobby to be very interesting as they try to maneuver through financial challenges and figure out how to live their lives after Angie's leaves them to pursue her own goals.

The murder itself is interesting and especially Angie's role as witness. What did she see or didn't see. Her race and class also factor into the plot, all of which were done quite well.

My problem with the book is that I would like to have seen the issues of class and race to dealt with on a deeper level. At times, the book as a YA novel rather than adult fiction, which is fine on its face, but I'm wondering whether that was part of the reason that I had difficulty with really getting into the story, because I didn't feel that Jain was able to peel the onion around these issues so that the reader could understand the complexity of all the layers.

My other problem was with the ending. I didn't like it, because I felt that it didn't serve the accused very well and seemed like an easy way out for the author.

All in all, a decent read, but I was hoping for more.

[Linda Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope. This should have been classified as a YA book. It felt like an episode of an After School Special. Themes of race, class, loneliness, isolation permeated the book but there was no real resolution to anything.

[Tina | TBR, etc. · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a lot to like about this. I liked the premise a lot and thought there were some interesting elements, but ultimately it was forgettable. I enjoyed the omniscient narration and that we got to know what actually happened. After all, there's his side, her side, and the truth.

This book is sad and I felt a little uncomfortable about a young Black girl being made the scapegoat for the inciting incident. It felt like we exploited this poor girl's life story to tell tangential stories of others. This would be a good pairing with Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson (but I felt that one was quite a bit stronger). Featured on ep. 92 of Book Talk, etc. https://www.booktalketc.com/1749254/1...

[Kelsey (Kelseylovesbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A heart wrenching story about how one moment can catapult life in a completely different direction. Our Best Intentions is a strong debut, rife with the realities of race in America and how privilege can shield some from consequences.

[Vaibhav Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving and brilliant book. Great character development and suspense! One of the best I’ve read in a long time.

[Amelia Wall Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant debut- I loved the characters and how they reacted in each phase of this book. A compelling story, wonderful prose, and rich human insights.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up? Have to think about it a bit. Rounding up for a debut.

[Chelsey (a_novel_idea11) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so well done and needs way more hype. It was thought-provoking, really well written, and so timely. It would be a fantastic bookclub choice.

Our Best Intentions takes a hard look at privilege, class, and race and how those elements intersect with the police and the concept of justice. Angie was a strong protagonist and I thought Jain did an exceptional job expressing her emotions and struggles with being (somewhat of) a witness to a crime. Jain perfectly laid the foundation for how Angie’s words and memories were twisted and molded by those with white skin and more money and power.

Novels discussing racial inequalities are so important and essential to understanding our biases (subconscious or otherwise) and in instilling more knowledge and empathy for people with different experiences and backgrounds than that of our own.

I listened to this novel on audio and it was excellent.

Very highly recommend Our Best Intentions. Thank you to William Morrow for the copy.

[arane · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointing

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone uses the phrase “I really wanted to like this” but I’m using it seriously here. The relationship between Angie and her struggling father Bobby was the central focus of the plot and I loved both of them. The problem was that the other plot threads didn’t have as much impact on me - we were told about the other characters but I didn’t end up feeling much for anyone, and the ending left me with a few questions. The writing was adequate, but I stumbled a number of times over odd word choices (someone used the phone “thrice”) and euphemisms (we’re told over and over that a character had “passed”) so I felt I was seeing the characters at a distance. The sections set at Angie’s school were more YA than not, and I had a hard time believing that a coach would encourage her to swim unsupervised in a pool which was closed for the summer. The most impactful scene came near the end - Angie’s conversation with Desiree; Chiara’s scenes were heartbreaking, but I felt we were told about them, not shown. However this was a debut, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for future books from this author. 3 stars.

[Dorothy Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to think about this book for a few days after finishing it. My initial reaction was that this book has so much potential to build off of and to discuss. I mean a black girl is found dead and presumed guilty of stabbing a white boy who happens to come from a privileged white family - and the police do little to prove otherwise, the community is quick to assign the blame and guilt, and racism and privilege are the prevalent forces in power . The story does nothing but build on this event for about 95% of the book. Yet, we only hear Chiara's voice and her side in one teeny chapter; making Chiara seem as insignificant as the community that treated her the same way. But then I took a moment to think of the POV of the book - Most of the narration is from Angie and her dad. Likely, no high schooler would know the details of the event and what happened; no teenager would know how to behave other than how they have their entire life; adults would definitely have their own framework of what is the "right" thing to do next. Keeping in mind the POV, the book is written exactly how things would play out in real life. The circumstances of the event would play out in exact detail to the way the book narrates them - because no one was there to put the details in place of the whole event. That being said, if that was the intention of the author, there were too many characters introduced that implied that the story would develop into a deeper and more detailed one. My feeling is that once these characters were introduced, (i.e. the principal, the supposed attorney for Henry's family, Chiara's aunt) the reader automatically assumes that the story will be leveling up with some type of resolution - but that is never the case.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow & Company for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Sherri Silvera · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

It is hard to believe that Our Best Intentions by Jain was a debut novel. I am sure this will be a top 2023 read for me.

This story had SO much. The complex characters were well developed. The plot lines were absorbing and paced perfectly, compelling you to keep reading. It was timely and topical with multiple POVs. Most importantly, it felt very real. That thought kept popping up in my head - the characters were relatable and what happened didn't feel overly contrived. As the story unfolded, the author revealed more and more letting the reader come to his/her own conclusions. It was a very thought provoking read.

The thriller/drama touched on many themes such as race and class relations, familial relationships, divorce, friendship, 1st and 2nd generation immigrant experiences, mental illness, moral quandary. Book club discussion galore!

I highly recommend this book and will definitely be following Vibhuti Jain.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advance eArc in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Jagruti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It is hard to believe this is a debut novel given how self assured the writing style is and how distinct the author's voice is. I thought it was a fairly nuanced and moving take on racial prejudice and family relations.

The characterisation was so well done. The character of Babur in particular as someone who is loving and well intentioned but comes across as emotionally neglectful- I haven't read a character like that portrayed in such a realistic way, and I thought his arc was very believable. The book was fast paced and easy to read and left me wanting more.

It was heartbreaking in parts, and I was upset by the unfairness and the lack of justice, but I do recognize that in not giving the readers a neat resolution, it depicts real life complexity more accurately....at the same time, the epilogue left me with some hope and a smile- it showed how growth and relationship building are possible if only you are willing to try.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been very good but it turns out to be an unimaginative morality play. The majority of the characters are flat archetypes with no spark of humanity. The two main characters are more fully fleshed out but not in a good way.

Angie, the daughter, is such a trembling mass of nerves and uncertainty it’s difficult to believe that she can get out of bed each morning let alone win medals for her high school swim team. Babur, the father, cannot possibly be such a naive, clueless idiot as he is presented. After all, he traveled thousands of miles away from his family to a new country where somehow he has managed to build a life and raise a child alone. But throughout the book he functions largely as comic relief (but more annoying than actually funny).

The black characters are introduced merely to get the plot going and return periodically to give the white characters someone to mistreat. The white characters are all uniformly awful human beings.

The author was inspired to write this story after hearing an Uber driver talk about a similar episode that occurred in the town where he lived. I wish that a different, better writer had gotten into his car that day.

[Geraldine (geraldinereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked from the very beginning, I couldn't put it down! It reminded me of such a fun age mixed with a thriller, it was definitely a page turner. The storyline is very much what would happen in today's world and covers class, race, and family.

I can't believe this is Jain's debut, I was really impressed! I'm excited to see what Jain writes next in the future and will definitely be reading it.

[Dennis Henn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story line is too unfocused. Is this a crime novel? A coming of age story? A story of overcoming obstacles when you are raised in a single-parent household of an immigrant in a largely upscale, white community? Our Best Intentions, despite the author's best intentions, tries to be too many things.

[Kelly Tullidge · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Had trouble getting into this book. It reads a bit YA. The fact that each chapter is told from a different character/pov didn’t bother me, but I can’t put my finger on why it just didn’t keep me engaged. I guess it felt predictable and the characters weren’t very likable.

[Dan McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down

This month's book club pick at my library.

I don't know what to call this book - it's kind of mystery, but you know who did it right from the beginning and the why for most of the book.

Angie is the daughter of a single father Indian immigrant living in a nearly all-white suburb. During her sophomore year summer she heads to school for swimming practice and afterwards sees her friend's brother Henry stabbed on the football field. She calls 911 and Henry's friend Chris says it was the one black student at the high school who stabbed him, Desiree.

The book follows these characters as things spiral out of control. Desiree was a runaway living with her cousin and technically shouldn't have been allowed to be a student at the school. After a fight with her cousin's roommate she was homeless and living in the school. The community jumps to call her dangerous and a criminal without ever hearing her side of the story, and Angie struggles with her place in the chaotic investigation.

The author said she got the idea for the story listening to her Indian immigrant taxi driver talk about a similar incident in the suburb he lived in. Her mind started filling in the fictional story of this book.

For me, this book was an uncomfortable read, it was too real for me to get enjoyment out of it. It struggles with the same things we are struggling with in our society - unfair policing, unfair schooling, racism, poverty - and it grapples with these issues really well. It's just not what I'm looking to read when I want to escape from the world.

A good book that wasn't for me in my current headspace, I guess. It'll make for a good book club discussion though!

[Shannon (The Book Club Mom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of great debuts this year, and there’s no denying that Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain is one of the best. I was extremely impressed by this relevant, powerful, and timely story with it’s well-developed characters and steady plot. Angie Singh, an introverted teenager witnesses a tragic event on the school grounds during summer break. Her automatic response of being helpful and doing the right thing spirals into a “wrong place at the wrong time” situation. What follows is a series of events that greatly displays the depths that some parents will sink to in order to protect their children.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Criminal investigations
- Family drama and dynamics
- Father/daughter stories
- Suburban New York setting
- Insight on teenage behavior
- Themes of privilege, race, and class
- Stories about immigrant families

Fans of authors like Celeste Ng, Etaf Rum, and Angie Kim will eat this novel up. I also think that it would be perfect for book clubs as there’s so much to discuss, especially regarding racial bias and social injustice. I can’t wait to read more from Vibhuti Jain. I really dig her style of writing. 4.5/5 stars for Our Best Intentions!

[Winn Philpott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end felt a little rushed/chaotic but I loved the story telling style! Just too many loose ends for my taste

[Allison Bronander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one. Reminded me of growing up in Westfield, but told from a different perspective. The things that happened in this book, could definitely happen in Westfield. I liked that it was nuanced from each perspective, and kind of sad but realistic throughout.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this debut novel through Goodreads Giveaways. Really enjoyed it - complicated, many different filters/interpretations/expectations from each of the characters, no easy answers.

The book is centered around one incident - there’s a stabbing of a white high school male student where an Asian girl comes to help him by calling 911. Also, involved are the white boy’s friend, and an African American girl. Racism and privilege come to the surface, rippling across everything. Each chapter is written from the viewpoint of a different person either directly or indirectly involved in that single incident.

[Ariel Tuladhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Review 🫧

📖 Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

💎 Good book that I feel hit some great topics, but didn’t get deep enough. They covered systemic racism and white privilege and immigration life but didn’t go deep. Was let down and disappointed.

Also, I didn’t enjoy the YA feel of the book. It had 90% of the book being told from teenagers points of view.

Very lacking police procedural part.

Overall, this book could have delved much deeper into these hard topics.

Book 67 of 2023