By: Mathew Rowan

In Bad Americans: Part II, Tejas Desai expands the world he introduced in the last installment of The Human Tragedy, Bad Americans: Part I, turning his focus toward the fragile dynamics of community, perception, and power. Picking up in the aftermath of a charged accusation, the novel leans into consequence rather than resolution, allowing tension to drive both character and narrative.

“It immediately sets up drama, and in particular an accusation, which goes along with the theme of storytelling, of listening versus examining and also of gossip versus reality,” Desai says.

A Contained World of Shifting Loyalties

At the center of the story is The Getaway, a secluded, luxury retreat that functions as a kind of social experiment, where guests and staff from different backgrounds are brought into close, sustained interaction. Within this contained space, belief and loyalty shift as accusations ripple through the group.

Desai connects this dynamic directly to contemporary culture. “We live in a time when gossip and social media telephone propaganda seems to be a lot more important than objective truth,” he says, noting how quickly perception can harden into assumed reality.

Storytelling as Influence

As the narrative unfolds, the novel explores how storytelling itself becomes a form of influence. Characters use stories not only to express themselves but also to shape how others see them, blurring the line between fiction and lived experience.

“In Part I, the characters are more likely to tell stories to prove a point or convey their unique worldview,” Desai explains. “But in Part II, the stories are more integrated with the plot… a story can really wound a character or make people wonder about someone’s motivations.”

That shift reflects one of the book’s central ideas: that people rarely experience stories objectively. Instead, they interpret them through their own identities, histories, and emotions. As a result, narrative and self-perception begin to overlap, often in ways that complicate relationships within the group.

Balancing Identity, Sincerity and Satire

The novel places a strong emphasis on the intersections of race, class, sexuality, and immigration status, weaving these themes into both the personal stories and the broader structure of the narrative.

“That was one of the major balancing acts in the book,” Desai says. “The sincerity was bolstered by the realism I brought to it… but the satire, I think, comes not only from the humor but also from the issues… because they are so complex, we see them both directly and in relief.”

Trauma, Memory, and Revision

Bad Americans: Part II does not shy away from more difficult subject matter. In developing storylines involving trauma and institutional silence, like in “Barcelona Blasphemy” (“Lisa’s Story”), Desai worked to ground the narrative in lived experience.

“One of the initial criticisms from beta readers about ‘Barcelona Blasphemy’ was that it was too blasé and didn’t reflect the trauma as powerfully as it should have,” he says. “So I did a rewrite… focusing on the details and the memories of what a survivor would most recall.”

Breaking Boundaries of Class and Power

The novel gradually expands its focus to include not just the guests but also the staff of The Getaway, blurring traditional boundaries of class and role.

“The book is breaking every boundary that exists,” Desai says. “What is the biggest boundary of all? Well, that of class, of role, especially in a hierarchical social structure.”

This erosion of hierarchy reflects a broader exploration of power, shaped as much by perception and emotion as by structure.

“Democracy is messy, and it’s never an absolute,” Desai says. “It will always move on a spectrum to and away from authoritarianism.”

A World Shaped by Recent History

The novel is also shaped by the lingering presence of the pandemic, which operates as a quiet but persistent force throughout the story.

“Let’s recall that well over a million Americans died during the pandemic,” Desai says. “It also shaped an entire emerging generation’s reality.”

Complex Characters at the Center

Through characters like Olive Mixer, the billionaire tech magnate whose personal struggles come into sharper focus in Part II, the story explores questions of mortality, responsibility, and vulnerability. Olive’s role as both an authority figure and an individual becomes increasingly complex.

A Mirror of the Present Moment

Ultimately, Bad Americans: Part II resists offering simple answers or clean resolutions. Instead, it reflects a world of competing perspectives and unresolved tensions.

“I didn’t write it to tell the reader what to think,” Desai says. “I wrote it to give them a mirror of the time we are living through and let them decide how to think or feel about it.”

Bad Americans: Part II by Tejas Desai is currently available for preorder on Amazon, Ingram, and other bookstores, ahead of its April 15 release. The novel continues The Human Tragedy series’ exploration of identity, perception, and power.