Book Review - "Karma" by Cathy Ostlere

Publisher - Razorbill
Release Date - March 31, 2011
Number of Pages - 528

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.


Well, I have not posted anything on this blog for quite a while, but I fully intend to start blogging more regularly from now on. I'm starting with this review that I am quite excited to write!

1. This book is one of the selections for the school book club that I am a part of, and it is the main reason why read this novel. Overall, I was very satisfied by what this book offered.

2. The setting of this novel is in 1984 India, right after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The entire country is thrown into chaos, that is the result of the conflict between Sikhs and Hindus. The atmospehere of the novel reflected the events so well, probably becuase the author actually travelled India during that time. Many of the small details described seemed totally believable to me.

3. The novel was written in verse, which gave it the abiluty to capture a lot more emotion and sensitivity than if it was written in prose. However, at some points the verse would make it hard to understand what was going on or what was meant by quote. Even though it was well-written, not everything was always clear.

4. The two main characters, Maya and Sandeep, were both quite well developed and the romance between them was not instant, but it dveloped over some time. Some of the minor characters though, were not all that interesting and sometimes just blurred in the background. It would have been great if some of them were more defined and if they played a bigger role in the story.

5. One of my favourite parts of the book, was the back story of the main characters and of Maya's parents. They were so intriguing to read about and  added a lot more depth to the charatcers and to the plot.

Rating -  B+

Happy Reading!