This was honestly such an eye opening book. Admittedly, I wasn’t aware of the tumultuous history of Hindu and Muslim relations in India, and this book did such a good job of providing education while still developing every character in this book. I loved the juxtaposition between Smita and Mohan. Smita, the Indian born American who vowed never to return to India because of her family’s secret past and slowly starts to see the bits of good that exists. And Mohan, a man who’s proud of being Indian and will love and defend his country until the end, but is also seeing all the bad that still exists in the country he loves so dearly. The bond they form is palpable, and the connection they both develop with the story surrounding an honor killing in a rural part of India challenges them both to face pieces of themselves that they didn’t know they needed to. 

This book is emotional. This book is sad. If you’re looking for a happy ending, this is not the book for you, but if you’re willing to sit in discomfort and read and emotionally taxing book that has beautiful storytelling and dynamic characters, I would urge you to give this a read. The story being told is important. The story being told is timely. The story being told may be taking place in India, but it is not an isolated incident and takes place in every country, just with different versions of “honor”. Meena and Abdul and their new little family deserve so much more than what they got and I will think about them often.