Indie musician Neela Devaki has built a career writing the songs she wants to hear but nobody else is singing. When one of Neela’s songs is covered by internet artist RUK-MINI and becomes a viral sensation, the two musicians meet and a transformative friendship begins. But before long, the systemic pressures that pit women against one another begin to bear down on Neela and RUK-MINI, stirring up self-doubt and jealousy. With a single tweet, their friendship implodes, a career is destroyed, and the two women find themselves at the center of an internet firestorm.
The Subtweet Book Review
The Subtweet had to be one of the most random books I listened to. I was perusing Scribd for something to listen to when The Subtweet caught my attention. I didn’t know what I was in the mood for, but after having just finished Bodega Dreams by Enrique Quinonez, I wanted to jump right back into something else, and I didn’t want to get out of bed and go downstairs to browse my bookshelves. And so The Subtweet, chosen completely random, it was. It sounded interesting, and for some reason, I was in the mood to read about a tale of drama stemming from the social media platform, Twitter (now X).
This is nowhere in my wheelhouse of books. I enjoy reading physical books, for the most part, but The Subtweet was an audiobook, and so I thought, what the hell. For some reason, I don’t mind being an audience to online drama, an innocent bystander, so to speak. Do I like drama? Not at all, but, like film and literature, we are drawn into the lives of others, and sometimes that drama can serve as entertainment so long as I do not become entwined in that web.
After Neela and Ruk-mini form, what I would consider, an unusual friendship where Neela, for the most part, initially keeps her guard up and shelters herself from Ruk-mini coming too close. Despite her reservations, for some reason or another, she is drawn into Ruk-mini. Ruk-mini, however, is the opposite, she makes no qualms about being a fan of Neela, who is a respected indie musician and artist. Ruk-mini covers one of Neela’s songs, and it leads her to fame. After realizing her first album, questions about the source of the songs, doubt, and jealousy abound, and the friendship between Neela and Ruk-mini is put to the test when Neela posts a subtweet that changes the course for the two.
Again, The Subtweet is not in my wheelhouse of books I usually read, but I have to say that, despite this, I was enthralled by Vivek Shraya’s writing. However, it was difficult for me to identify with the characters and their world. However, it did, assuming there was some truth and/or experience, from the author’s (Shraya) perspective, provide a peek behind the curtain of the Indie music industry. Shraya is, indeed, a musician based out of Canada. Aside from this, the story revolves around friendship and the effects that social media and fame can have on people, whether positive or negative. I have never been involved in any online drama, so I could not relate, but I clearly understood how the drama was brought upon and how things can be misconstrued. What it can also do is garner the opinions of an entire population even if what may have been claimed is true or not. This alone can be detrimental.
The Subtweet was a surprising read for me because I went into it blind and with no foresight of what I was getting myself into other than reading into the title itself. The novel is heavy on the female perspective, and it features mostly discussions on art, music, relationships, and race issues. Neither of these should deter anyone from reading as those perspectives are insightful and intriguing. I, being a male, was able to see things from a different perspective, which was much appreciated. I have many such conversations with my wife and her friends, all strong female role models, so I was able to read this without rolling my eyes or being chauvinistic. My ego is well intact, and everyone deserves a platform to express themselves without being judged. I appreciated The Subtweet and I am glad that I allowed myself to divulge my usual personal tastes and interests and broadened my horizons if ever so slightly.