The Henna Artist

 

The Henna Artist

Alka Joshi

I was eagerly looking forward to reading The Henna Artist and it didn't disappoint. 

Set in 1950's India the story follows the main character, Lakshmi through the ups and downs of her life. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950's city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist - and confidant - to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own...

Know for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow - a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does. 

In the front of the book there is a dismayingly long list of characters, but it turns out the characters are easy to sort out without paging back and forth too often. In the back of the book there is a useful glossary which I turned to more often.

The many themes through the book - cultural differences, including the caste system, the end of the British raj and the beginning of self-rule for India, the role of mothers and mothers-in-law in families, the differences between western and eastern medicine, abusive relationships, teenage troubles to name a few provide plenty of fodder for book club discussions. 

I highly recommend The Henna Artist.