About the book:

A provocative, razor-sharp novel about two Indian American siblings caught in the clutches of a beauty tech company, Ravishing is an incisive portrait of a predatory industry and its dangerous ability to capitalize on our deepest insecurities. Full of heart and vulnerability, Eshani Surya’s dazzling debut shines a light on the dark enticements of wellness culture and the ill-fated pursuit of perfection.

For teenage Kashmira, it’s painful to look in the mirror; she has her father’s face, and every feature is a reminder of his abandonment. When a friend introduces her to Evolvoir, a beauty product that changes users’ features, Kashmira is quickly seduced by its ability to erase the triggers of her grief. Meanwhile, at Evolvoir corporate, Kashmira’s estranged brother Nikhil sees the product as an opportunity to make a difference, but is quickly mired in complicity as reports surface of severe side effects in some users. As Kashmira becomes more dependent on the escape the product offers, she is hospitalized with inexplicable symptoms and must negotiate the constraints of her new reality, while Nikhil uncovers a vicious truth that forces him to decide where his loyalties lie.

Deftly excavating the repercussions of living in white spaces, and fearlessly examining the realities of what it means to live with chronic illness, Ravishing is perfect for readers of Gold Diggers and You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine. Eshani Surya delivers a piercing novel that asks how much quiet suffering we’ll endure in exchange for beauty, for acceptance, for love.

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About Eshani Surya:

Eshani Surya is a writer interested in how we share love while navigating the complications, trauma, and radical self-acceptance inherent in marginalization, especially in terms of disability and race. Her novel, RAVISHING, will be published by Roxane Gay Books/Grove Atlantic. She is a 2022 Asian Women Writer’s Workshop mentee, a 2022 Kenyon Review Writer’s Workshop scholarship recipient, a 2021 Mae Fellowship recipient and a 2021 Semi-Finalist for Key West Literary Seminar’s Marianne Russo Award for Novel In-Progress. Her fiction and essays can be read in The Rumpus, DIAGRAM, Catapult, Joyland, the anthology, Tiny Nightmares, and elsewhere.

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About Blue Stoop:

In May 2018, a critical mass of Philadelphia writers came together to create a hub for literary culture. Today, Blue Stoop offers high quality classes and inspiring events led by local writers and creatives.

Today, Blue Stoop envisions a radically inclusive literary community where Philadelphia readers and writers are thriving and supported. We are fiscally sponsored by CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

EMBODY, SPEAK, RELATE: Free classes in celebration of "Ravishing"

A trio of free virtual classes taught by debut novelist and Blue Stoop board member, Eshani Surya.