I hear you, readers, I do. I pick up most Austen spin-offs with trepidation. But Debating Mr. Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta deserves a look, as it stands above most rewrites and adds to the Austen conversation.
In Debating Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet is reimagined as Indian American teenager, Leela Bose. Darcy is also Indian American--but whereas Leela is a public schooler, Firoze hails not only from an elite public school, but from the very grounds of Pemberly College. The two come face-to-face at a Forensics meet, where a bad first impression starts everything off on the wrong side of Hamilton. From there, it just gets worse.
The Bennet family is here reimagined as Leela's team. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are her coaches, while Jane, Mary, Kitty, Lydia, Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins all have been transposed into classmates and fellow speech-and-debaters. Likewise, the Bingleys also turn up with Darcy's team. And let's not forget a team of charming rogues from the Regimental Academy!
The class issues of the original novel come through here via the tensions of public vs. private school, as well as the unique challenges faced by minorities of every type in modern America. DasGupta treats her source material with respect and understanding, and manages to make nifty nods to even the smallest of names from the novel.
I especially was intrigued by her interpretations of Mary and Mr. Collins. No spoilers, but the presentation was appreciated. Lydia's third act predicament was also perfectly woven into the politics of Forensics society.
Content Notes: This is billed as YA, and as such I'll include some items of note that may make this a pass for some families. Leela is a liberal feminist, and this colors much of the story (good, bad and neutral). There's some innuendo. Nothing that would be out of place for most public high schoolers, but might not be so appreciated by more conservative parents. Another element that some readers would prefer to know ahead of time is that Jane is reimagined as a gay boy, and the Bingley relationship is thus homosexual. The main physical relationships don't go beyond kissing, although Lydia's situation does result in allusions to a presexual encounter. This includes an audio play by play. Without spoiling anything, I will add that the end message is positive and may spark good further discussions.
