A review by sydapel
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I went into this with slightly different expectations than what the book actually is, which is entirely on me for taking a TikTok recommendation and not reading a blurb. I did enjoy the lovely and obviously deeply researched depictions of class dynamics, social norms and living conditions in Jaipur post-colonialism. However, I found the characters and plot to be a bit predictable and weak. I felt like I could guess every plot point coming about 10 pages sooner than it was revealed on page (or over the audio, in my case), and it drove me a bit crazy. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings