This is the third book that I have picked up by this author and I have grown to love her style now. Bilan's books are a beautiful mix of magic realism interspersed with cultural references. This one is no different.
Gist:
Aarti has always lived with her temperamental aunt on this island for as long as she can remember. They live off the land alone and Aarti has never known anything different. However, she keeps getting these flashback images about a living a different life lived elsewhere. One day when she gets into a locked room, and stumbles on certain things that make her question her present and delve into her past.
My review:
- Bilan's forte is magic realism and this story brims with it.
- The amalgamation of cultures into her story - in this case Indian and the Druid cultures - makes for an interesting reading experience.
- Her stories now are beginning to have a set pattern and it is easier to predict how the story is going to flow. Although the familiarity feels great, perhaps a bit more exploration in terms of style and themes will sustain that "wow" factor that drew the reader to the first two books.
- Bilan is good at handling senstive subjects like grief, acceptance in her stories for the young reader. It is for this reason alone, that I am confident about gifting a Bilan book to a young reader, knowing well that she will be in good hands.
If you have read her other books this one may not be up to the mark, but if you haven't read her before, this standalone book is a good introduction to her writing.
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