genre: contemporary fiction
Jivan has grown up Muslim in the slums of India, and when a terrorist attack results in the burning of a train near her home, she expresses her frustration at the government in a Facebook post, a harmless thing. Except, those words she posts online lead to her arrest for the crime and in this novel of three interwoven stories, we learn how desperate people can be to better their lives and how quickly the social tide can turn - or not - in their favor.
Jivan's school teacher, PT Sir and a friend on the fringes named Lovely are both capable of providing the alibi to save her - but is it worth what they'd have to give up? This story made my head spin sometimes, watching the way small decisions lead to unintended consequences, both positive and negative. My heart got attached to Jivan, trying to truly wrap my mind around those who have to live in the slums, raise children with no stability, no safety net of health care or permanent shelter. I appreciated the nuance of the other main characters, the way their dreams are just as fragile and Jivan's. Lovely, in particular, has such a humorous personality. She made me chuckle out loud more than once.
This book delved deep for me and the ending wasn't what I'd expected. It's not a happy story, but it made me think and opened my eyes and put my mind into a culture and political scene that's unfamiliar to me. I'm glad I listened (the different narrators were very good).
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