The title character of Aditi Brennan Kapil‘s Brahman/I is a stand-up comic of ambiguous sexuality—ambiguous, at least, insofar as Anglo-American norms are concerned, there being no viable “other” classification to round out “male” and “female.” Born with bonus genitals, this Georgia-reared child of Indian immigrants (favored nickname “B”) lived as a boy until puberty started working its magic on him, at which point he found himself opting for makeup and saris. B’s mother and the family doctor each tried to get her to declare for one team or the other—Go Penises! Go Vaginas!—but she refused to cut off her options. Literally or figuratively.
Brahman/I is essentially a tale of personal liberation. Which is why it’s ironic and disappointing that Kapil has chosen to tell it in a fatally constricted way.
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