Author: Amita Trasi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2017
Genre(s): contemporary fiction, women’s fiction, coming-of-age
Part of a Series: No
Rating:
Why I read it: Once Upon a Book selection!
Summary: Tara returns to Bombay after years living in America, determined to find the young girl her father had taken in from a village and whom she had befriended when she was younger. The girl, Mukta, had been kidnapped from their apartment and Tara had believed her dead until paperwork she discovered after her father’s death proved otherwise. She wants to find the girl who was like a sister to her…and who she may have wronged.
Mukta grows up the daughter of a temple prostitute, destined to become one herself. Her mother tries to free her from that life and so Mukta is sent to Bombay to have a chance at something better. She finds friendship and possibilities with Tara until she is kidnapped one night. As she is forced into being essentially a sex slave, she thinks of the joy she had just being a child with Tara and finds the strength to persevere.
Review: Since I gave this five stars, I’m sure it’s redundant to say that I loved this book. But I did. Not that it didn’t make me angry at times, but it dealt with some sensitive and angering topics such as forced prostitution, child sexual abuse, rape, murder and a lot of other dark topics. So it was too be expected I guessed.
(Fun fact: I think I got so frustrated, my heart rate went up enough that my Fitbit Alta actually mistook it as exercise!)
The book is told in first person, with Tara and Mukta trading off as narrators. Tara’s chapters are all set in the “present” (AKA 2004-2007) while Mukta’s are set from the past and stretch into the present (1985-2007). Both characters are compelling and the reader gets invested in both their stories. Both suffer their share of hardships and heartbreak, though Mukta has more than Tara. They share a similar strength and determination—Tara wanting to find Mukta and Mukta wanting to survive her tough life.
Trasi also describes the places so well, it’s easy to imagine them. Bombay, Mukta’s village, her prison—all clearly described. Tara’s time in America does suffer a bit from this as Trasi doesn’t seem to describe everything as well as she does when the story is set in India. It’s clear to see where her passion then lies, which is okay, but it does highlight an inadequacy.
(Though not a big enough one to make me lower the rating or like it any less).
There is also a bit of a mystery set up and there are many twists and turns, though there are a few twists that are easy to spot. (I called one very, very early on). But the rest keep the reader going, wondering what’s coming next and if Tara will find Mukta in time.
Bottom line: A very good read but may be triggering or upsetting for some people due to topics raised.
Sex: Mentions, nothing graphically described. However, nearly all the sex is either non-consensual or of dubious consent.
Moonlight Musing
Have you ever had a friend feel more like family?
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