The Henna Artist

Set in the city of Jaipur post Independence, The Henna Artist tells a story of a woman named Laxmi , who manages to escape her abusive husband when she is a teenager. She now finds herself at the age of 30 in the homes of the rich women in Jaipur, drawing intricate patterns of Henna for them. She has done well for herself but out of nowhere her husband and her teenage sister (who she never knew) appear and her life takes a turn.
This book is beautifully written and takes into account the way things would work in an Indian Society. It is a definite page turner with such interesting characters and an intriguing storyline.  It was difficult to predict where the author was going with the story at first, and I was surprised with the outcome. But once the storyline was set I could almost see where Laxmi would end up at the end of the story.

I found a few things concerning the Royals in the book a bit unrealistic, I couldn’t imagine things happening that way. But to be fair I don’t actually have an idea about how it could have been, so I decided to accept the events in book as a possiblity.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, more so because I have spent a part of my life in the same city. I was hit by a wave of nostalgia as I read through the description of the people and the places in the Pink city.