Publishing Date: March 31st, 2011
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Verse
Pages: 528 pgs
ISBN: 9781595143389
My Rating: 5 stars
Summary from GoodReads:
On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi is gunned down by two Sikh bodyguards. The murder sparks riots in Delhi and for three days Sikh families are targeted and killed in retribution for the Prime Minister’s death. It is into this chaos that sixteen-year-old Maya and her Sikh father, Amar, arrive from their home in Canada. India’s political instability is the backdrop and catalyst for Maya’s awakening to the world. KARMA is the story of how a young woman, straddling two cultures and enduring personal loss, learns forgiveness, acceptance and love.
My Review:
I absolutely adored this book! Most people have difficultly reading novels that are written in verse but I think that Ostlere did an amazing job trying to write about such a serious topic in such a difficult form. I do agree that at times books written in verse can be very plot driven to the detriment of description but this is not the case for this book. I was able to really visualize India and the chaos occurring during the uprising. I was also able to see the countryside and the places of Maya's travels.
I have to admit that the father in the book really enraged me at times. Yes, he was driven by grief but at the same time he helped to fuel the fire of descrimination through his ignorance. I kept thinking: "You married someone who was of a different religion- why can't you see that this is wrong?!?" I also found him to be incredibly overbearing. After being separated from her father for so long, I couldn't believe that he was still wanting to control Maya's life.
| The history in this book is rich and I loved reading it. Overall, I give this novel 5 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend you read it. |
I read this last year. Though it's different from what I usually read, I enjoyed it.
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