This is a hard book to review. The subject matter is a difficult one, and Trasi approaches it with compassion and empathy. The story is told from two points of view at two different points in time. The first is Tara, the daughter of a family who rescues children in India. The second is Mukta, one of the children who is rescued. Mukta, as a child, is initiated as a temple prostitute and destined to be a sex worker. Once rescued, she is kidnapped from Tara's family home. As an adult, Tara discovers that her late father had spent the rest of his life searching for Mukta even after moving to America, and decides to return to India to continue the search.

The story weaves through time. Part of the story takes place while Tara and Mukta are children. Part of the story takes place while they are adults and remembering the past.

The shifting timelines and POV added an extra layer of suspense and mystery to the story, since it became clear that there was more going on than immediately apparent.

A compelling story of a not-so-nice part of India's culture.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley ( )

This novel is a female version of The Kite Runner set in India; it focuses on the friendship between two girls, Mukta and Tara. Mukta is the Hassan character and Tara is Amir in Khaled Hosseini’s novel.

Born to a temple prostitute, Mukta is intended to follow her mother’s profession, but she is rescued and moves into an upper-class household with a daughter Tara who is two years younger than Mukta. The two girls develop a strong bond over five years. Then, when Mukta is fifteen, she is kidnapped and Tara moves to the U.S. with her father. Eleven years later, Tara returns to India determined to find her childhood friend.

Chapters alternate between the two girls. Mukta narrates the past, beginning in 1986 when she is living with her mother and grandmother in a village which adheres to the Devadasi tradition, which “dedicates” girls to a life of sex work in the name of religion. Tara narrates the present, beginning in 2004 when she comes to India to begin her search. Eventually the two plotlines converge.

The plot is fairly predictable. What is intended to be a twist is not really one because Mukta’s description of past events clearly foreshadows the revelation, especially when coupled with Tara’s description of her father’s actions. I was also not surprised by the romance element or the rather melodramatic ending.

Tara is not a character with whom I could connect. She comes across as self-centred; her search for Mukta is not so much motivated by love as by guilt and a need for redemption. The constant repetition of her feelings of guilt becomes tiresome, especially when it is obvious almost from the beginning that she is not responsible for Mukta’s fate. Tara certainly does not seem deserving of Mukta’s trust and loyalty.

Mukta is the one who possesses all the positive traits. She is humble and kind and unfailingly loyal. Obviously, her tendency to almost deify Tara stems from Mukta’s low self-esteem. Despite Tara’s mistreatment of her, Mukta focuses on Tara as her saviour. Considering all that Mukta experiences, she forgives easily and always remains optimistic. In fact, she becomes almost unbelievable in her goodness.

Another issue with characterization is that secondary characters are often just dropped from the narrative with no explanation. Once they have served their purpose, they are simply dismissed. For instance, Madam shows herself to be very determined to keep her property, but we are supposed to believe that she will not pursue Mukta or Asha? A grandmother appears for a chapter and then, for all intents and purposes, disappears?

I learned a lot more about India’s caste system, especially the Devadasi tradition. I was inspired to do further research and discovered the impact of British rule: traditionally Devadasis were celibate but the loss of their means of support and patronage when kings, the patrons of temples, lost their power forced them to become temple prostitutes. Colonialism has been such a scourge for so many!

This was an audiobook for me, and I must admit it was an enjoyable companion on morning walks. I was sufficiently interested to keep listening, though it is predictable and not without its flaws. Definitely, on the escapist/interpretive spectrum, it is much closer to escapist literature.

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I don't know why I always seem to like books that take place in India. This one was good but not great. I usually like it when a book takes forever to tell a story, but not this time. I thought this book could've been 200 pages shorter.
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What a sad, yet uplifting book. The subject matter is horrifying; young girls forced into prostitution. It's also a tale of friendship and forgiveness. A little slow at times but ultimately worth reading. ( )

This book is absolutely beautiful. Tragic, heart breaking, difficult, but beautiful. I started reading it one Saturday morning and could not stop until it was done. ( )