BOOK REVIEW: The Henna Artist - Alka Joshi

*NO Spoilers*

Genre: historical fiction

Background: set around the 1950's, follows the story of main character Lakshmi as she leaves her family and sets out to find her own light in a new city. Novel speaks of independence, social image, hardship, and the dynamics of relationships we build in our lives.

Content: The story is beautiful. Character development is subtle but very noticeable at the same time, really nice to see. The main thing I loved about this story is how simply it is spun. Critical readers will really appreciate the metaphors, imagery, and overall simplicity of the author's work.

This is Joshi's first novel, yet the story makes it feel like she has been writing books her entire life because of her simple yet effective style. Her diction, specifically the integration of Hindi words, helps the reader immerse themselves in the story so much that it feels like they are right in the middle of it all, along with feeling like they are apart of the culture.

The novel touches everything that I feel the reader needs to know about. It is set in a time when the social arches of Indian society were being re-built, and identities being re-woven. Alongside that, the author's depiction of social image and how much importance it holds within society, is truly admirable. Love, loss, identity, the standards that society puts on us vs. the heights we want to reach; The Henna Artist covers it all.

(It also has the most beautiful cover art I have ever seen).

Some of my favorite quotes

1. “He deserves paradise who makes his companions laugh.”

2. “Independence changed everything. Independence changed nothing.”

3. “'The one-eyed man is king among the blind,'” I replied, smiling.”

4. “What is the use of crying when the birds have eaten the whole farm?”

5. “In India, individual shame did not exist. Humiliation spread, as easily as oil on wax paper, to the entire family, even to distant cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews.”

*This image does not belong to me*