Holy crap, this book was long. I enjoy reading books that take place in other countries, mostly because I can learn a little about different cultures. Sometimes it's frustrating when I can't understand a lot of the vocabulary used, but this book wasn't so bad. I occasionally came across a word I didn't know, but it didn't stop me from comprehending what was going on. I just wish I had known while reading that there was a glossary of Indian words in the back of the book; instead I realized this after I finished the last page. Whoops.
The book is divided into three parts. The first part is told from the main character, Charulata Apte's point of view. She goes to work at a private school for girls in a different region of India from where she is from. The school pushes British influences and ways, and the staff of women consists of some very interesting characters. One particular teacher, Moira Prince, is a very complex character that Charaluta develops a relationship with. In fact, some lesbian romance occurs between them, in addition to drug use. Charulata falls hard for Moira, but is it really True love or just puppy love, since Charulata has never been in a relationship before, or even really had a close girl friend like Moira.
The second part of the book is told from the perspective of one of the girls who attends the school and is in Miss Apte's class. It was refreshing to read another person's "voice", especially that of a teenage girl. The climax of the book is during this part when the girls sneak out of the school (just to rebel) and see Moira Prince on the edge of a big cliff. They see some other characters in the area that night, too, which thickens the plot because after the girls walk away, Moira falls off the cliff and dies. There appears to have been a struggle, and the girls are determined to get to the bottom of this supposed murder case.
The third part of the book is again told from Charulata's perspective. She is also determined to solve the mystery of the murder, since she "loved" Moira (but no one knows this). The reader, however, can't help but wonder if the narrator is somewhat unreliable and played a role in it all. It takes the plot a long time to unravel, literally until the last pages of the book, with some surprises at the end. I was left satisfied with the conclusion but a little frustrated it took so long to reach it.
Overall, this book was good! It's actually an adult book but would definitely interest upper-level YA readers (girls) who are okay with lonnnnnggg books. Because of the sex and drugs, I'd have to recommend it for eleventh and twelfth graders, as these parts may distract a younger or less mature reader from the rest of the book.
As far as depth is concerned, I'm not so sure I can come up with some deep meaning or message to the book. There are definitely some small conclusions you can make about staying true to one's culture, doing what's best for one's family, and trusting people, but there isn't a huge overall "AHHHHH, that's it!" sort of message like in most YA books I've read. Oh, there are plenty of small conclusions, based on the various sub-stories going on besides the murder mystery: there's a romance with a man, finding the truth about her father's career failure, a very sick mother, slowly becoming an outcast, etc.
I think this one is worth reading if you want a good story and a good mystery, but not if you're looking for a deep message.
Good for: mystery unit, multi-cultural books, setting helping to convey theme
Themes: experimentation, obstacles, remaining true to one's culture, truth, appearance vs. reality,
Would interest: 11th and 12th grade girls who can read lonnnng books
My Grade: B+
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