Aria has a problem with love.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s divorced, which Roszel said is a \u201cbig no no\u201d in Indian culture.<\/p>\n
But Aria falls in love with Leo Roselli \u2014someone outside of Indian culture\u2014forcing her to reconcile cultural perceptions of love with her individual desires. Roszel said the story evolves into Aria overcoming the challenges from that divide, bringing her family on board, and conquering \u201cobstacles to true love.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe I in Indian\u201d is also dual perspective, contrasting love interest Leo\u2019s upbringing with Aria\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Roszel said she wanted to subvert the \u201cperfect book boyfriend\u201d trope with Leo\u2019s character. Rather than reducing him to \u201can imaginary figure,\u201d Roszel said she wanted readers to \u201cget in his head,\u201d and watch him try to better understand his partner.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s taught that being divorced matters, right? That her age matters, that her profession matters, this and all these things\u2014and he doesn\u2019t see any of that, right?\u201d Roszel said. \u201cAll he sees is this girl that he\u2019s crazy about. He shows how uncomplicated love can actually be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The main love story, which Roszel calls Aria\u2019s second chance at love, dissects self-sabotage and depicts the complexities of healing from past relationships.<\/p>\n
In the first scene of the novel, Aria retells countless date flops while swigging a vodka soda in her car. She had matched with Leo on a dating app, which comes with its own baggage. Despite how excited she was by the profile, her burnout is palpable. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Luckily for both, they get along.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Initially, Aria tries to hide Leo from the family. The ploy doesn\u2019t last long– Aria’s little sister, Saira, reads her easily. Saira says her \u201clips are sealed” and the two are described as “thick as thieves.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s the rebel,\u201d Roszel said of Aria\u2019s role in the family.<\/p>\n
Fan of the book Julia Bay said she resonated deeply with Aria\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean we all have these periods in our life where we may feel like we\u2019re disappointing people, right, by not doing what is expected of us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
More than just a rebel, Aria describes her family household as \u201cwarm\u201d and lovingly details the d\u00e9cor, food and scents. Roszel said she wanted to demonstrate the complexity of Aria’s character.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roszel also draws inspiration from Middleburg in Loudoun, setting part of her story in \u201cMiddletown,\u201d where Leo is from. A quiet, small town with beautiful scenery, “Middletown” helps Aria slow down internally and connect with Leo. The two also go on a date in \u201cAurburn,\u201d described similarly to Ashburn.<\/p>\n
The novel riffs on the elaborate romance films of Bollywood, with nods to how Bollywood influences the characters’ views of love in the book.<\/p>\n
Roszel said those stories can be \u201cso different from real life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c[Bollywood] was a huge influence in my upbringing as is for most second-generation people growing up here,\u201d Roszel said.<\/p>\n
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William Timme\/ Loudoun Now<\/p>\n
Roszel\u2019s parents moved to the United States in their 20s.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very unique experience in the sense that, like your parents that come here, they\u2019re trying so hard to preserve their culture from where they came from and stay within the culture that this daughter, this second-generation person, is trying to balance with both identities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
With two sisters, Roszel\u2019s house was one \u201cfull of girliness all the time,\u201d she said. Her mother owned a travel agency, leading to summer-long outings in Mussoorie, a town in India at the foothills of the Himalayas. Almost every night, after a small hike, Roszel and her family rode a hand-cranked Ferris wheel together. After, they ate chocolate bars and watched sunsets from the mountains.<\/p>\n
Back in the States, Roszel said her reality, consisted of American schools, American music and American kids. \u00a0To first-gen immigrants, she \u201cwasn\u2019t quite Indian enough,\u201d but to American kids she was \u201csuper Indian,\u201d Roszel said. For a long time, she said she didn\u2019t feel like \u201ca good Indian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean I did all the things you weren\u2019t supposed to do,\u201d Roszel said. \u201cI drank. I dated. I went out. \u2026 It wasn\u2019t until much later in life, when I started to finally write, that I realized being Indian is just something you are. It\u2019s not something you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roszel said her parents are nothing like her book protagonist’s.<\/p>\n
Roszel\u2019s parents have a loving marriage, which she said was rare for their generation. Some of Roszel\u2019s cousins entered arranged marriages, but her parents didn\u2019t want that for her. They encouraged her to explore in life and in love.<\/p>\n
Roszel said she named the book \u201cThe I in Indian\u201d because Aria needs to realize that \u201cbeing Indian can mean whatever she wants it to mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think that\u2019s different for everybody,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s all cultures. We\u2019re all different than our parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
A talented writer since childhood, Roszel got into poetry early and her mother would submit her works in contests. Despite winning often, she didn\u2019t realize how deeply she loved writing until college.<\/p>\n
At George Mason University, Roszel joined the Indian dance team, dancing to Bollywood songs and performing at weddings, birthday and events. At the same time, she honed her writing.<\/p>\n
The work paid off.<\/p>\n
As Roszel\u2019s first stab at fiction, \u201cThe I in Indian\u201d was recognized by the International Impact Book Awards. A discovery she made near the end of September.<\/p>\n
The International Impact Book Awards is \u201cmore than a recognition program\u2014it is a global movement dedicated to celebrating the excellence in storytelling and honoring authors whose words spark transformation,\u201d according to their website.<\/p>\n
Roszel will be attending a winner\u2019s gala in Phoenix, AZ, in November.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very nervous to put this out there,\u201d she said of \u201cThe I in Indian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it might be a little controversial. \u2026 To win this award was extremely validating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Book reviewer Samantha Dennings called \u201cThe I in Indian\u201d \u201can easy read\u201d during a conversation with\u00a0Loudoun Now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just felt like the story grabbed me right away, and I didn\u2019t want to stop reading it,\u201d Dennings said. \u201cLike, I didn\u2019t watch my favorite show that night, or whatever I needed to do as soon as I got off work.<\/p>\n
She awarded the book five stars on her book review Instagram @reading.in.starshollow.<\/p>\n
Roszel is also creating a series, with two more novels planned. Each of them will focus on one of Aria\u2019s two sisters, she said.<\/p>\n
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William Timme\/ Loudoun Now<\/p>\n
To learn more or purchase \u201cThe I in Indian\u201d go to iinindian.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n