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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I have to say, I 'burned' through this book in a few days because it was so thrilling and the writing was beyond beautiful. However, I will also say this is like trauma porn and every page breaks your heart even more so than the last. I'm not sure if every traumatic circumstance was necessary to move the plot, some scenes just too gratuitous for me, but maybe the author thought it was important to highlight the pain that girls who have been cast aside for so many reasons have to endure in India and always, at the hands of a man. After all that heartache and with every disturbing experience each character endured, I wanted a bit more closure to the ending. I would recommend it as a must read but be warned, this is an emotional roller coaster (but mostly downhill, sad...)
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Gender and poverty alone determine the fate of many lives. I loved the book, although brutal to read, yet the ending confused me and I had to reread it a few times. I'm still not sure I get it.
dark
medium-paced
In alternative voices, two young girls from a poor village in India reveal ways that sex trafficking occurs in current times. In that part of the world, girls are not valued and their families have to offer an expensive dowry to marry them off, often at age 15 or 16. From their youngest ages, they are informed of their worthlessness.
Poornima has lost her mother, a weaver. When her father hires talented Savitha to help out, the girls become fast friends until something unspeakable occurs and Savitha runs away. Poornima marries a man she does not see until their wedding day and the horrific abuse from him and his family is just unimaginable. Then she is sent away.
Each girl uses the few talents she has to survive in dark circumstances. From India to Seattle, they are controlled with threats to their remaining family members, mutilation, opioid dependence, deviant sexual practices, hunger, and more. Poornima is absolutely determined to find Savitha, even after two years have passed. What each has to do to survive will leave readers feeling both compassionate and humbled, perhaps more than a little bit outraged.
The story is laid out rather matter-of-fact, not overly dramatized or emotional. This is simply the world they live in. It is when the story moves to Seattle that readers will realize that this is also the world Americans live in as well and some of this global problem is occurring right next door.
Poornima has lost her mother, a weaver. When her father hires talented Savitha to help out, the girls become fast friends until something unspeakable occurs and Savitha runs away. Poornima marries a man she does not see until their wedding day and the horrific abuse from him and his family is just unimaginable. Then she is sent away.
Each girl uses the few talents she has to survive in dark circumstances. From India to Seattle, they are controlled with threats to their remaining family members, mutilation, opioid dependence, deviant sexual practices, hunger, and more. Poornima is absolutely determined to find Savitha, even after two years have passed. What each has to do to survive will leave readers feeling both compassionate and humbled, perhaps more than a little bit outraged.
The story is laid out rather matter-of-fact, not overly dramatized or emotional. This is simply the world they live in. It is when the story moves to Seattle that readers will realize that this is also the world Americans live in as well and some of this global problem is occurring right next door.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really wanted to give this book 5 stars. It was so close. The writing is excellent, the characters are engaging...I really couldn't put it down. But
Spoiler
the ending did not work for me. I guess I can see why it was done that way, but after investing so much emotional energy in wondering if they'll ever finally see each other again, it was a major letdown not to get to see that moment.
Very graphic at some parts but probably one of my favorite books I have read this year.
So good
So good
First off, reader be warned, this book is tough. The story itself is good enough, but it was really hard to read because some of the content is so upsetting. If it hadn't have been the selected read by my book club, I honestly wouldn't have finished it because the story gets pretty dark. It did make me think about life from a different perspective though, which I guess that is my take away.