You Bring the Distant Near

Mitali Perkins draws from her own experiences as an Indian American woman and an immigrant in her fiction, which explores the intersection of culture, identity, and belonging. In You Bring the Distant Near, the author examines the lives of five Bengali women who reflect facets of her own identity. Of the novel’s main characters, the one most similar to the author is Ranee Das’s younger daughter. Perkins confirms, “I am most like Sonia—a bookish introvert who loves to write and read and has wanted to champion the marginalized since I can remember” (“Interview: Mitali Perkins.” Rich in Color, 19 Sept. 2017). Like Perkins, Sonia is born in Kolkata, India, keeps a diary from a young age, and lives in Ghana and London before settling in the United States with her family. The author immigrated to California when she was seven years old, while the fictional character moves to New York at age 15. Sonia shares her creator’s lifelong love of literature, and stories provide both women with a sense of stability during a childhood disrupted by frequent moves. Perkins observes, “My biggest lifeline during those early years was story. Books were my rock, my stability, my safe place as I navigated the border between California suburbia and the Bengali culture of my traditional home” (Perkins, Mitali.