A review by morethanmylupus
Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

I always struggle with Partition stories. It's such a painful chapter in Indian history and it has left so many scars. But the stories are often nearly the same, and sometimes that takes away from their impact. I appreciated that this book was set in Bengal instead of Punjab, because that's an aspect of Partition that I haven't had a lot of exposure to. I also appreciated that while we have one Hindu-Muslim love story (beloved trope of Bollywood that it is), we also have the stories of the other sisters that lend some context and varied insight. Painful to read but essential. 
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