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A review by ruth24
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
3.0
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When children start to go missing from his basti, 9-year-old Jai begins to investigate with his friends, emulating the detectives he watches on his favourite TV show, Police Patrol.
More 'Coming of Age' than plot-driven Mystery, the story follows Jai as he interprets the world around him and tries to figure out what's happening in his community. According to the afterword, journalist Deepa Anappara set out to tell the story of the 180 children who go missing in India every day - not only to bring this issue into the spotlight, but to tell the human side of the children, their humour and resilience, which didn't find a place in her journalistic reporting.
I really enjoyed getting to know the basti, Bhoot Bazaar and the book's many characters (particularly Pari and Runu). I also enjoyed the chapters written from the perspectives of the missing children, the railway journey (despite the title, the Purple Line is rarely mentioned) and how Anappara wove in some wider issues (like domestic violence, religious conflict, addiction, poverty, class differences etc.) I was intrigued by the mystery, but overall found the pacing very slow, with not much plot driving it. At first I felt the story was more for a younger audience, what with naive 9-year-old Jai as the protagonist, but as the story progresses, it becomes darker and darker, with more adult themes. The ending was a little disappointing (one of those times when you flip the pages to make sure it's really the end), but I understand why Anappara ended it as she did.
Overall I would rate the book 3.5 stars out of 5. Reminded me a bit of [b:Anita and Me|483330|Anita and Me|Meera Syal|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328752479l/483330._SX50_.jpg|1150967], [b:Brother|36672820|Brother|David Chariandy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511801797l/36672820._SY75_.jpg|18475129], and [b:The Wrong Boy|839356|The Wrong Boy|Willy Russell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356446280l/839356._SY75_.jpg|824916].
When children start to go missing from his basti, 9-year-old Jai begins to investigate with his friends, emulating the detectives he watches on his favourite TV show, Police Patrol.
More 'Coming of Age' than plot-driven Mystery, the story follows Jai as he interprets the world around him and tries to figure out what's happening in his community. According to the afterword, journalist Deepa Anappara set out to tell the story of the 180 children who go missing in India every day - not only to bring this issue into the spotlight, but to tell the human side of the children, their humour and resilience, which didn't find a place in her journalistic reporting.
I really enjoyed getting to know the basti, Bhoot Bazaar and the book's many characters (particularly Pari and Runu). I also enjoyed the chapters written from the perspectives of the missing children, the railway journey (despite the title, the Purple Line is rarely mentioned) and how Anappara wove in some wider issues (like domestic violence, religious conflict, addiction, poverty, class differences etc.) I was intrigued by the mystery, but overall found the pacing very slow, with not much plot driving it. At first I felt the story was more for a younger audience, what with naive 9-year-old Jai as the protagonist, but as the story progresses, it becomes darker and darker, with more adult themes. The ending was a little disappointing (one of those times when you flip the pages to make sure it's really the end), but I understand why Anappara ended it as she did.
Overall I would rate the book 3.5 stars out of 5. Reminded me a bit of [b:Anita and Me|483330|Anita and Me|Meera Syal|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328752479l/483330._SX50_.jpg|1150967], [b:Brother|36672820|Brother|David Chariandy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511801797l/36672820._SY75_.jpg|18475129], and [b:The Wrong Boy|839356|The Wrong Boy|Willy Russell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356446280l/839356._SY75_.jpg|824916].