The Subtweet is a novel written by Vivek Shraya, a Canadian artist, musician, and writer. Published in 2020, the book explores themes of friendship, jealousy, identity, and the complexities of social media culture. It delves into the lives of two musicians, Neela Devaki and Rukmini “Ruki” Bose, who form a friendship based on their shared love for music.

The story begins with Neela, an aspiring musician who gains popularity on social media after Ruki shares one of her songs. The two artists connect online and eventually meet in person. They bond over their experiences as women of color in the music industry and collaborate on a song together. Their friendship flourishes as they support each other’s careers and navigate the challenges of being artists in a digital age.

However, tensions arise when Neela’s career takes off while Ruki’s struggles to gain recognition. Ruki becomes envious of Neela’s success and starts to feel overshadowed by her friend. Unable to express her feelings directly, Ruki resorts to subtweeting – posting indirect and passive-aggressive messages on social media that are clearly aimed at Neela but without mentioning her name.

As Ruki’s subtweets gain attention and become viral, Neela starts to suspect that they are about her. She feels hurt and betrayed by her friend’s actions but is unsure how to confront the situation. The novel explores the impact of these subtweets on their friendship and how social media can both connect and divide people.

Through alternating perspectives between Neela and Ruki, Shraya delves into the complexities of communication in the digital age. She examines the power dynamics within friendships, the consequences of jealousy, and the ways in which social media can amplify emotions and misunderstandings.

• The Subtweet

• A Novel
• By: Vivek Shraya
• Narrated by: Nisha Ahuja

Everyone talks about love, but friendship can be equally captivating. When Neela Devaki’s song was covered by popular internet artist Rukmini, the two musicians met and a changing friendship began.

But as Rukmini’s star rises and Neela stagnates, jealousy and self-doubt creep in. With just one tweet, their friendship crumbles, a career is ruined, and the two women find themselves at the center of a cyber storm.

The second novel by acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Vivek Shraya is a moving examination of art making in the modern era, a love letter to brown women, a foot facts about the music industry and a nuanced exploration of the promise and dangers of being seen.

I love it the whole way. Many thoughtful descriptions of modern challenges. Drama and suspense made me restless, the relationships of the characters were very important to me. The way the characters care about each other is really beautiful. Narration is also well done.

I love this book! This book focuses on two Indian women living in Canada. Neela is a self-composed recording artist while Rukmini is a cover artist. They became friends when Rukmini covered one of Neela’s songs. Rukmini’s version is more popular and she has more success. The friendship is strong but Neela doesn’t understand Rukimi’s success and Rukimi is not confident in her talent. A friendship affected by a bad tweet wasn’t meant to cause as much damage as it did. The book really shows the power of social media – good or bad – and its speed. The author also discusses racial issues throughout the book. Mainly about how much easier it would be for Meeks and other brown girls to achieve success if they were white or spoiled by a white audience. I really love the ending. I already had in mind what I wanted, but what the author wrote was much better!

This book is thrilling, exciting, woman-centered, and has great storytelling. I can’t put it down and I hope there’s a sequel!

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