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lgbtrights's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Glad to have started with this book for the year for my resolution to read more books this year 💝
I honestly liked the format of this book. The title of the book is accurate, as it's a historical fiction featuring a young 12-year-old girl named Nisha. She writes to her mother, who had passed away. As the topic of grief has been something I've reflected more on recently, it made my experience reading this more emotional.
The focus of this story's plot revolves around the Partition of India in 1947, a topic I had not been informed about. This book helped me grasp it more, and I'm thankful that the author included a note and questions to (younger) readers to discuss the more heavier content described in the story.
Suprisingly, I found myself (specifically, my younger self) relating a lot Nisha, and I loved the bond and feelings of love she expressed towards her family members and the people she met.
"Dadi washing and mending my clothes, Papa kissing us on our foreheads before bedtime, Amil making a drawing of me. Kazi making my favorite paratha stuffed with fried onions and potatoes. Every day had been filled with things like this. All love, even between Papa and Amil. Why hadn't I seen this before, Mama?"
The author did a great job in creating such a human story. The descriptions of food from another culture were also delightful and tied the story together well. Gulab jamun, chapati,biryani, rasmalai, sai bhaji, etc. The terms for them and a recipe are also included at the end of the book, which was very nice.
Overall, this was a good story to be introduced to the topic of the Partition of India for younger audiences and older alike.
I honestly liked the format of this book. The title of the book is accurate, as it's a historical fiction featuring a young 12-year-old girl named Nisha. She writes to her mother, who had passed away. As the topic of grief has been something I've reflected more on recently, it made my experience reading this more emotional.
The focus of this story's plot revolves around the Partition of India in 1947, a topic I had not been informed about. This book helped me grasp it more, and I'm thankful that the author included a note and questions to (younger) readers to discuss the more heavier content described in the story.
Suprisingly, I found myself (specifically, my younger self) relating a lot Nisha, and I loved the bond and feelings of love she expressed towards her family members and the people she met.
"Dadi washing and mending my clothes, Papa kissing us on our foreheads before bedtime, Amil making a drawing of me. Kazi making my favorite paratha stuffed with fried onions and potatoes. Every day had been filled with things like this. All love, even between Papa and Amil. Why hadn't I seen this before, Mama?"
The author did a great job in creating such a human story. The descriptions of food from another culture were also delightful and tied the story together well. Gulab jamun, chapati,biryani, rasmalai, sai bhaji, etc. The terms for them and a recipe are also included at the end of the book, which was very nice.
Overall, this was a good story to be introduced to the topic of the Partition of India for younger audiences and older alike.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Violence
Moderate: Blood, War, Religious bigotry, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, and Grief
Minor: Medical content
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