I think the McCloud scene was intended to be horrible, hence why the photo causes Amina to become “unhinged” (as discussion question #2 puts it). To me, that shot is forgivable because it was “accidentally on purpose” and tangled up with her feelings about Akhil’s death. I would not, however, be lining up to attend Amina’s photo exhibit. As described, her photos seem more hurtful than artistic. “Caitlin McCready signed off on her sisters wrestling over the bouquet”…“Lila Ward is fine with the ring bearer wetting his pants, the Abouselmans signed off on sad wheelchair grandpa on the dance floor…” The subjects themselves don’t seem to have any say in the matter.
^I didn’t think Amina necessarily did anything wrong in taking the photo of McCloud. That section of the book was just so depressing, though. It seemed like Amina was unhappy and lost being away from her family. Once she was with them physically, things started looking up, even though there were terrible difficulties.
Somebody asked what Kamala would do in the future without Thomas. I think she would help take care of Amina and Jaime’s children, and cook delicious food for them. 
I agree! I know this sounds horrible, but I think Kamala will be happier without Thomas. She will miss him and long for the love she found with him before his death, but she and Amina will be happier as they now allow themselves to move forward in life. Kamala may still be a difficult person to live with, but Amina understands her better now, and Jamie seems up to the task.
^^^ Plus Akhil no longer remains a taboo subject. Steps toward accepting his loss needed to and now have been taken.
Kamala may be less difficult to live with anyway. Her (annoying) behavior stems in part from worry about Amina. If Amina begins to move forward happily in life, Kamala can let up some.
The kids pretty much answer this question (location 2280):
I liked the relationship between the families. It hinted at better days (in the past) for Kamala and Thomas–a time when they were really a couple, spending enough time together to nurture good friendships with other couples.
It’s interesting that they truly viewed one another as family, even though they were not blood relatives. It was ingrained in them to the point that when Mindy refers to Akhil as sexy and wonders if Dimple thinks so, too, Dimple responds, “Gross…He’s my cousin…Dis. Gus. Ting.”
We have the male equivalent of Sanji in our family - the never married uncle/no children. Yes, cool and able to remain so without having to tend to the not-so-fun parts of parenting. White water rafting - sure; sick child - no.
I also thought the idea that all these immigrants felt like family was very interesting. But doesn’t Dimple end up with a “cousin”?
I think our next book shouldn’t jump around in time so much, it’s driving me crazy trying to figure out when characters first appear - in the book or chronologically.
Sajeev appears in Chapter 3 of Book 2 having “grown into his nose”. But do we see him in cousin/family friend role earlier?
I was actually surprised Dimple didn’t end up with the slightly “Dimple is a human Samosa” creepy Jose.
We learn a bit about Sajeev in Chapter 1 of Book 2.
So I guess the move to Wyoming moves Sajeev out of cousin-range.
We have neighbors that immigrated from India. The oldest son married an Indian girl and her parents moved one house away from his parents. It makes visiting the in-laws easy. 
I asked the youngest son (a friend of my children) how that worked for everyone and he said they are all family now. They eat together several nights a week - informally - and so on. It reminds me of the book. He laughed when I told him about the visit to India in the book because I remember when he used to go for that extended visit in the summer. He mentioned the heat and the mosquitoes and the ability to understand some of the language flowing around him but not all.
mathmom: It seems that every book I pick up lately has a less-than-linear narrative. Sometimes I like it; sometimes I don’t. I have the most trouble when chapters switch back and forth between one character and another. I end up interested in one storyline and annoyed when it switches to the less-interesting-to-me other one. Then the chapter or two ends and I have to switch again and backtrack to remember what happened. (I’m reading two books at the moment and both do that.)
A lot of books I have read lately have the non-linear narrative also, but I have found that I really enjoy it. I like having the little cliff hangers throughout the book. It has also cured me of an annoying habit I had developed of skipping forward or skimming books. I had become a lazy reader. Using audiobooks is my ultimate cure for that or course.
quote=mathmom disordered sleep seems to be a major theme of the novel - whether it’s literal sleep problems or the way Amina sleepwalks through life after photographing the jumper.
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Good, balanced review of The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing that elaborates on this theme: http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/xz6UU2va0fOPT8Axn0diCI/Book-Review–The-Sleepwalkers-Guide-To-Dancing.html
I don’t mind moving back and forth in time, but it’s true we’ve read two books in a row that don’t progress chronologically. I’m ready for a linear saga ala Lonesome Dove. Just put me on a horse and point me toward Montana.
That was more or less a joke - I don’t actually mind it except when we discuss the books and I always feel compelled to try to figure out what the meaning of the order is - but never do! For the last two I ended up making timelines of the books. I didn’t bother for this one, but if I had, I might be able to figure out stuff like this.
@ignatius, I think you are exactly right. Because his family left New Mexico long enough ago he’s lost his cousin status!
^ I’m in the same boat as CBBBlinker (post #56): I love my Kindle, but going back to find passages–especially in non-chronological works–is not easy (at least not with my old model that doesn’t permit any kind of page flipping).
^The book is no better though. If I had a Kindle I could search keywords - like Sajeev’s name for example.
^ True – I love the search option.
Listening to a book is even worse. I have to rely on my memory. 
This was a low-key, leisurely discussion, which worked great for me because I was on the road almost the entire time. It would have been hard to be away from the computer for such long stretches if we were reading something deeply complex or controversial. (I am almost finished with Native Son by Richard Wright–that would have been some discussion! Disturbing on many levels.)
We can begin choosing our June selection at any time. As always, this thread can stay active for latecomers like SouthJerseyChessMom or anyone else who wants to chime in regarding The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing.
Books :-B
Speaking of which:
I officially finished all four books in the Lonesome Dove series. I read Lonesome Dove first of course and it remains the pinnacle. I followed with the sequel *Streets of Laredo/i and then headed into the prequels. CAUTION: May contain spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read Lonesome Dove yet. Prequel 1 Dead Man’s Walk introduces a young Gus and Call (late teens). We see them join the Texas Rangers and slowly work toward a friendship - barely surviving their adventures. Prequel 2 Comanche Moon sets up Lonesome Dove nicely. You get to see Clara struggle with her love for Gus, knowing he won’t be the kind of husband she wants. You meet and like Maggie and see her heart break with love for a man who just can’t love her back. You meet a young Pea Eye, Deets, and Jake as they also join the Rangers. You get a good look at the young Blue Duck growing meaner with each passing year. I really liked Comanche Moon and can recommend it, as the second best in that series - not Lonesome Dove by any means but still really good.
Caraid: If you posted from memory, I’m impressed. I had forgotten this:
Good reminder for me that Thomas has a complicated relationship in regard to the women in his life.
So can anyone tell me what Dimple needs from Amina, besides the photos of course?
^ Maybe Dimple needs Amina to be the helpless one, the lost soul, so that she can be the rock. Some enabling relationships are like that, right? If that’s the case, the dynamics are probably about to change, considering Amina’s “awakening” by the end of the novel.
Lol, @ignatius. I wish my memory was that good. I have the kindle version also. That passage was found through a search. I only remembered enough to look it up. I added the audible version when I knew I was going to be spending a lot of time in my car in March. I ended up listening rather than reading.