“The magic is in the words, my dear girl. When you bend one’s thoughts with words that touch the soul, they call it inspiration.”
For eleven years Tara has lived with the guilt of not knowing where her childhood friend Mukta has disappeared to. When Tara and her family lived in Bombay, her father often brought home poor village children to live with their family until they found permanent homes. One child was different though, Mukta stayed with their family. Mukta was born into a Devdasis, bound to serve as a temple prostitute. Tara befriended Mukta and was able to reach through to her, even teaching her how to read. In return, Mukta cared for Tara as a little sister and inspired her with her outlook on life. However, one day of Tara’s mother is found dead after a bombing, Tara is led to believe that Mukta’s presence in her home is responsible for her bad luck. In her grief, Tara pays a neighborhood gang member to kidnap Mukta and return her to where she came from. Tara’s wish comes true and Mukta is captured that night. Now, eleven years later, Tara returns to her home in Bombay with new information hoping to find the childhood friend that she believes she is responsible for losing.
A beautiful and heartbreaking story that examines the lives of two girls from India who were born into different social castes. There was so much emotionally charged and lyrical writing in this book that I was stopping to re-read some of the quotes and highlighted many of them. The story is told from Tara and Mukta’s alternating points of view. Tara’s point of view begins from the present with her search for Mukta and the mystery of how she was possibly responsible for her kidnapping. Mukta’s point of view begins from the past with her early childhood as the daughter of a temple prostitute, her rescue by Tara’s father and being sold back into the brothel. Through their stories, I felt like I got to know Mukta much better than Tara. While her story is tragic, Mukta’s spirit shines and her memories of her time with Tara and her family keep her strong. It was very interesting to learn about the Devdasis, the social differences in the Indian culture and the people who are trying to help. While tragic, this is a powerful book and well worth the read.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
A beautiful and heartbreaking story that examines the lives of two girls from India who were born into different social castes. There was so much emotionally charged and lyrical writing in this book that I was stopping to re-read some of the quotes and highlighted many of them. The story is told from Tara and Mukta’s alternating points of view. Tara’s point of view begins from the present with her search for Mukta and the mystery of how she was possibly responsible for her kidnapping. Mukta’s point of view begins from the past with her early childhood as the daughter of a temple prostitute, her rescue by Tara’s father and being sold back into the brothel. Through their stories, I felt like I got to know Mukta much better than Tara. While her story is tragic, Mukta’s spirit shines and her memories of her time with Tara and her family keep her strong. It was very interesting to learn about the Devdasis, the social differences in the Indian culture and the people who are trying to help. While tragic, this is a powerful book and well worth the read.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
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