abroadwell's review against another edition
3.0
This is a charming book, narrated from the point of slum kids trying to solve the case of missing children from their neighborhood.
jerihurd's review against another edition
4.0
The pedant in me says, 3.5-3.75. But let's be generous.
Surprisingly good, especially as it built towards the conclusion. Far from the usual India poverty porn (looking at you, Slumdog Millionaire) Anappara puts a real face on her characters. Despite the horrors of the subject, I often found myself chuckling at the wry comments from the 9 year old narrator, Jai, who has seen far too many episodes of Police Patrol; convinced he has knows all about being a detective, he commandeers his friends to search for the local children who mysteriously disappeared. While the author pulls no punches in her depiction of the smog-smothered basti, the characters are vivid, refusing the weight of stereotypes.
Surprisingly good, especially as it built towards the conclusion. Far from the usual India poverty porn (looking at you, Slumdog Millionaire) Anappara puts a real face on her characters. Despite the horrors of the subject, I often found myself chuckling at the wry comments from the 9 year old narrator, Jai, who has seen far too many episodes of Police Patrol; convinced he has knows all about being a detective, he commandeers his friends to search for the local children who mysteriously disappeared. While the author pulls no punches in her depiction of the smog-smothered basti, the characters are vivid, refusing the weight of stereotypes.
mollyjane7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
alisarae's review against another edition
#AlisaReadstheWorld: India
This story is about a 9-year-old boy who lives in a slum beside a luxury high rise in an Indian metropolis. He and his two friends investigate as children go missing from their neighborhood, since police do nothing even after being bribed. There is a sweet naiveté and resilience that is brought to the story by basing it on the voices of children.
The author is an Indian journalist who didn't have the chance to publish the stories of missing children as she wanted, so she wrote these characters as stand-ins for the estimated 180 children who go missing (read: are kidnapped) every day across India. Few of their names—let alone their stories— ever make the news. Class divides and abuse of minorities pile on top of the awful crimes and injustices already committed. All of that is present in the novel.
The writing is full of beautiful, physical language. The audiobook drew out the tangible quality of the words, sounds, and accents.
This story is about a 9-year-old boy who lives in a slum beside a luxury high rise in an Indian metropolis. He and his two friends investigate as children go missing from their neighborhood, since police do nothing even after being bribed. There is a sweet naiveté and resilience that is brought to the story by basing it on the voices of children.
The author is an Indian journalist who didn't have the chance to publish the stories of missing children as she wanted, so she wrote these characters as stand-ins for the estimated 180 children who go missing (read: are kidnapped) every day across India. Few of their names—let alone their stories— ever make the news. Class divides and abuse of minorities pile on top of the awful crimes and injustices already committed. All of that is present in the novel.
The writing is full of beautiful, physical language. The audiobook drew out the tangible quality of the words, sounds, and accents.
mschlat's review against another edition
1.0
One of those cases where the ending ruined the entire reading experience. I have no doubt that this is the story Anappara wanted to tell, and I enjoyed many of her characters, but the combination of the "child detective" genre, some hints of ghosts working for justice, and the stark reality of the final chapters made me angry at the book.
jakobitz's review against another edition
5.0
The 2021 Edgar Award winner for Best Novel, “Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line” centers its story around a group of children protagonists growing up in an Indian slum and tells a compelling and disquieting story of daily survival, socioeconomic inequity, and criminality. The author writes in an often light and humorous way, befitting the tone of a 9 year-old narrator, while also jarringly hitting the reader with horrific dangers and events, and an unsettling mystery of child abductions which drives the narrative of the book. While supernatural elements are described at times, this is a purely natural tale, full of real life dangers and real world outcomes, as well as struggles that transcend the story’s setting. Due largely to the opening prologue, as well as the title itself (i.e., “Djinn Patrol…”), I did struggle a bit with the first half of the book, as I kept waiting for some twist or turn to take this tale to the preternatural, unclear as to what sort of story I was reading. By the second half I was hooked and let the story envelope me with all of its joys and trauma. This was an enjoyable and thoughtful read; one that should leave you disquieted by the dangers of our world, but more aware of the plight of others. 4.5 stars
rhys_tm's review against another edition
5.0
A novel that straddles parallels of warm, endearing character-building and evocation of Indian culture, and the harsh reality of life in Indian slums, the disparity of how the poor are treated by those that should protect them, and the indifference with which disappearances of those from less fortunate means are met with.
Beautiful, sentimental, but ever so heartbreaking.
Beautiful, sentimental, but ever so heartbreaking.
pixieparliament's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Jai lives in India in a Basti (slum). Children from his school and neighbourhood go missing and he tries to be a detective to find them. He is only a little kid. . The language is confusing as there is too much slang/jargon and it rambled a lot.
Spoiler
He solves nothing and you don't know what happened to the missing kidsodyssia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book very effectively tackles issues regarding child trafficking, (child) poverty, gender/sexism, inequality and scapegoating on the basis of religion without feeling like misery porn.
The decision to tell the story from the perspective of a child was very clever as it lightens the tone and it feels true to the character of a child.
The decision to tell the story from the perspective of a child was very clever as it lightens the tone and it feels true to the character of a child.