REVIEW:

There’s a whole classification of books I think of as “flog fiction.” You know the type, where reading them feels like you’re beating yourself with a stick all in the name of “literature.” These books often get described as “difficult yet powerful,” because the things that happen to the protagonists are so horrible it’s like torture turning each page for fear of what atrocities will lie ahead.

I expected The Henna Artist to be flog fic, but to my surprise it’s anything but. In fact, author Alka Joshi’s debut novel is the story of a woman, Lakshmi, in 1950s Jaipur who has taken destiny into her own hands. She works hard as a henna artist and herbalist to pay for the construction of her dream house and all the security it will provide. Sure, there are some difficult topics discussed, but none that outshine the powerful portrait of a strong, independent woman blazing her own trail.

The Henna Artist is the first novel of a planned trilogy, with The Secret Keeper of Jaipur slated for publication in June, 2021. It has already been optioned for a TV series starring Freida Pinto that is being described as a lush production akin to an “Indian Downtown Abbey.” Consider me signed up for both.

The audiobook of The Henna Artist is currently available on the Hoopla library app for immediate download.

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.

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

Known 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.