Inside cover blurb:
Tariq. Anupreet. Margaret. As different as their Muslim, Sikh, and British names. But in one moment, their futures become entirely dependent on one another’s.
While the rest of India anxiously awaits the upcoming partition that will divide the country into two separate religious states, eighteen-year-old Tariq focuses on his own goal: to study at Oxford. But for a Muslim born and raised in India, there is no obvious path to England—until Tariq is offered a job translating for one of the British cartographers stationed in India, tasked with establishing the new borders.
Margaret, the cartographer’s daughter, has only just arrived in India. But already she has discovered it to be hot, loud, and dull. She can’t go anywhere alone for fear of the riots and violence. Eager for a distraction, she finds one in Tariq.
But it’s Anupreet, another member of the staff, who has truly captured Tariq’s eye. She’s strikingly beautiful—but she’s a Sikh, so not someone Tariq should even be caught looking at. And yet he’s compelled to…
Thoughts:
Some fairly decent historical fiction here. A compelling story line with interchanging narration, the author has done well in illustrating how people who inhabit the same space can be so radically separated by class, race, etc.
Plus: Two POC main characters, set in an important and often overlooked historical moment.
Minus: Felt a bit hole-y, the relationships between the main characters could have been developed more. Some elements seemed abrupt and out of place- for instance, the ending.
If you like this book, try:
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen