
My Review: This is the kind of book that’s terrifying—terrifying in
that things escalated so quickly that it seems almost ridiculous, but also
plausible.
Because this book takes place in India, it seems like it
would be easy to say that this is the kind of thing that wouldn’t happen in the
U.S. Although I’d like to think that there are many parts of this story that
will not happen here, I know that there are definitely parts of the story that
would. A simple statement, one made just to get comments and likes, and the
consequences are so dire that it was frightening.
I felt like the story was well-written, and I enjoyed the
rotating points of view. Each chapter was told from a different rotating cast
of characters, and I always enjoy that writing choice because I like to see
what each of the characters is contributing to the story in their own way. I
especially enjoy it when an author is able to make each voice distinct, which
Majumdar did a good job of doing. If the characters have muddled voices in each
chapter it’s easy to get confused (especially if you stop in the middle of a
chapter), but with strong, distinct voices this isn’t an issue. Majumdar’s
characters have distinct voices and their stories were interesting and very
varied, which kept me interested and reading. Because this is a fairly short
book, it didn’t take me long to read the whole thing. The chapters are short
and consumable, which makes the story movie quickly.
This was an eye-opening book to me. I’m not well-versed
in India and Indian culture, and the insights I learned from this were so
interesting. This book is also tragic in so many ways—it isn’t something that
is easily ignored. Even though there are many things in this book that aren’t
familiar in U.S. culture, there were plenty that were reminiscent of what is
going on here, and the choices that people make that affect others and the
culture as a whole.
This is the kind of book that I think is very relevant to
today. Unfair trials, political favors, one person’s fate being sacrificed for
the “greater good” are all things that we are trying to understand and dissect
together as a nation. When we look at other places and see ourselves reflected,
and also see things we could be doing or should not be doing, it is important.
Books like this that are so sharp and poignant are important for a generation
to read who wants to make changes, and wants to know how to make them and where
to start.
My Rating: 4 Stars
For the sensitive
reader: There is violence and strong class system biases, as well as language.
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