Em and the Big Hoom: an Unexpected Tale

As an Indian-American, my family has often felt somewhat unconventional compared to my Caucasian friends. Until I connected with others who shared similar experiences, I was surprised by what seemed normal in my non-Indian friends’ homes. While my family prioritized education, familial connections, and career stability, other families emphasized independence, ambition, and personal freedom. Yet these differences are often exaggerated in portrayals of the “traditional Indian family,” creating a distorted sense of what family life is really like. I have always sought media that avoids stereotyping Indians as socially awkward or excessively studious. When I discovered Em and the Big Hoom, I felt I had finally found a story that could act as a genuine representation of my family. I was excited to see that it was about an eccentric Indian family living in Goa and tackled topics such as culture, mental health, and familial connections. Even more exciting was the Indian author, Jerry Pinto, who I believed would be able to accurately portray what it’s like to grow up in an Indian household without resorting to clichés. However, my experience reading this book was definitely unexpected, and not what I had hoped: here is my review of Em and the Big Hoom. 

This book had lots of potential; the characters all had distinct personalities, and the writing style was funny and engaging. However, one aspect of the book that contrasted with what I expected was that there was no real storyline. I kept telling myself that the book was just setting up context, and then an event would occur that would start the real story. Instead, the novel was just a collection of anecdotes from the titular character “Em”, a bipolar and suicidal mother to the book’s narrator. I did enjoy her stories, and I thought they were entertaining, but not enough to stop me from feeling bored every time I decided to read a chapter. In fact, the book was so packed with Em’s background, making it difficult to connect with the book’s other characters. Essentially, the book’s anecdotal structure felt scattered and unfulfilling. I do understand that this was to represent the scattered mind of Em, but there could have been better ways to depict this, especially through the narrator’s eyes. Additionally, as I detailed in the introduction, I chose to read this book for Indian representation and to feel seen. Instead, it almost felt like the setting wasn’t in India, and I was only reminded of the character’s heritage when a stereotypical comment was made by one of the characters.

One of the strongest aspects of this book was its portrayal of the complex emotions surrounding mental health. Some of the quotes Pinto wrote were truly powerful, but this one was by far my favorite:

"Love is never enough. Madness is enough. It is complete, sufficient unto itself. You can only stand outside it, as a woman might stand outside a prison in which her lover is locked up. From time to time, a well-loved face will peer out and love floods back. A scrap of cloth flutters and it becomes a sign and a code and a message and all that you want it to be. Then it vanishes and you are outside the dark tower again."

I think this quote perfectly represents how it feels to feel hopeless, to try so hard to help a loved one, but to no avail. Love alone can’t fix it, and while there are moments of clarity and connection, they are fleeting. 

Contrary to popular belief, I felt Em and the Big Hoom was a little disappointing, and I would not recommend it to interested readers. While it was a good representation of struggles surrounding mental health, the cons of poor structure, no plot, and less diverse representation outweigh this strength. Even if, unlike me, someone chose to read this book for its depiction of mental health, I believe there are better and more engaging books that have the same, if not better, effect.