G609 Book Review of The Color of Our Sky by Amita Trasi
Author: Amita Trasi
ISBN: 9780692429402
Publisher: Bloomhill Books
Type of book: India, temple prostitutes, 2004-2009?, 1986-1993, sisterhood, friendship, survival, castes, living in USA, trying to do the right thing
Year it was published: 2015
Summary:
A sweeping, emotional journey of two childhood friends—one struggling to survive the human slave trade and the other on a mission to save her—two girls whose lives converge only to change one fateful night in 1993.
India, 1986: Mukta, a ten-year-old girl from the lower caste Yellamma cult of temple prostitutes has come of age to fulfill her destiny of becoming a temple prostitute. In an attempt to escape this legacy that binds her, Mukta is transported to a foster family in Bombay. There she discovers a friend in the high spirited eight-year-old Tara, the tomboyish daughter of the family, who helps her recover from the wounds of her past. Tara introduces Mukta to a different world—ice cream and sweets, poems and stories, and a friendship the likes of which she has never experienced before.As time goes by, their bond grows to be as strong as that between sisters. In 1993, Mukta is kidnapped from Tara’s room.
Eleven years later, Tara who blames herself for what happened, embarks on an emotional journey to search for the kidnapped Mukta only to uncover long buried secrets in her own family.
Moving from a remote village in India to the bustling metropolis of Bombay, to Los Angeles and back again, amidst the brutal world of human trafficking, this is a heartbreaking and beautiful portrait of an unlikely friendship—a story of love, betrayal, and redemption—which ultimately withstands the true test of time.
Characters:
Main characters include Tara and Mukta. Tara belongs to middle class if not higher and has been pampered and taken care of for a lot of her life. She also has tendency to become jealous of Mukta and often resents Mukta's presence. As an adult, Tara is filled with guilt over a mistake she has committed and tries to do right by her friend. Mukta is described as blond haired and green-eyed and she is a daughter of a temple prostitute and later on is dedicated to the temple herself. She does whatever she can to be grateful when she lives with Tara and often tries to get Tara to like her. As an adult she has a very tough life, but I keep thinking that despite her life she doesn't seem to give up hope of having a bright future.
Theme:
You never know who's life you may impact
Plot:
The story is in first person narrative from both Mukta's and Tara's points of view. For the most part the story also features Tara in one chapter and Mukta in another, although there are times when a few chapters focus on Mukta's stories, and same goes for Tara. For the most part viginettes of the childhoods are shared with the readers, although the characters do fill in the blanks of their adult lives. I also enjoyed learning a lot about India and what was going on between the Muslims and the Hindus.
Author Information:
(From Pump up your books)
The Color of Our Sky is available at Amazon, iBooks, Kobo and Barnes and Noble.
Amita Trasi was born and raised in Mumbai, India. She has an MBA in Human Resource Management and has worked with various International corporations for seven years. She currently lives in Houston with her husband and two cats. The Color of Our Sky is her first novel.
For More Information
Opinion:When I saw the cover, I couldn't believe how beautiful it is, with a sky of buildings, maelstrom, the vivid colors of blue and red, as well as millions of stars surrounding two girls who are trying to protect one another. When I started to read it, from the very first words I began to strongly enjoy the story, although at first I enjoyed Mukta a whole lot more than Tara. Eventually I warmed up to Tara, but Mukta always has a special place in my heart. I sort of knew of dedication women to the temple from an earlier e-book I read, but its one thing to read a short story and another to read a novel that goes into depths about the practice and paints incredibly vivid pictures of heartbreak, betrayal and how, sometimes desires are not enough to escape reality.
This is a late review for Pump Up Your Books
Monday, July 6
Interview at PUYB Virtual Book Club
Tuesday, July 7
First Chapter Reveal at The Writer’s Life
Wednesday, July 8
Interview at Confessions of a Reader
Thursday, July 9
Book Featured at Bound 2 Escape
Friday, July 10
Book Review at Fictional Real World
Monday, July 13
Book Review at Books Reviews ETC
Tuesday, July 14
Book Featured at What Is That Book About
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Book Review at Booklover Sue
Friday, July 17
Guest Blogging at Mythical Books
Tuesday, July 21
Book Review at My Book Retreat
Wednesday, July 22
Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Thursday, July 23
Interview at Examiner
Friday, July 24
Book Featured at FictionZeal
Monday, July 27
Book Review at Maureen’s Musings
Tuesday, July 28
Book Review at Bookaholic Babe
Wednesday, July 29
Book Featured at CBY Book Club
Thursday, July 30
Book Review at Kristy Centeno’s Blog
Friday, July 31
Book Review at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Book Review & Guest Post at Queen of All She Reads
Book Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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