Nivedita is a postcolonial studies major at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, and is an ardent follower of the charismatic Indian professor Saraswati.

A review from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung stated that Sanyal had "an unheard-of talent for showing both the freedom of extreme thinking and the limits of discourse" and that the novel was "a very unique genre [..]: a mixture of campus novel, intellectual chamber play, blogosphere plateau and identity politics satire.

"[4] The Süddeutsche Zeitung considers that "know-it-all, dominant characters" like Saraswati "trigger aversions, no matter what skin color they have" and that the reason for this could be"a demonstration of strength – because as an author of color, […] she can do it," but concludes that it is more likely that she wants to guide the reader through a mental exercise in order to lead the reader to the conclusion that progressives should stand united against hatred.

[5] The New York Times called the novel "bracing" and praised Sanyal's boldness and nuanced writing.

[6] Deutschlandfunk Kultur said that the novel was "daring and bright" and claimed that Sanyal deftly explores the issue of transracial identities in a society where gender is fluid and what this means for the cause of anti-racism.