5 Star
Exiled from her family in India for more than a decade, Shirin and her husband lead a comfortable but empty life in London.
Memories of her childhood – exotic fragrances, colours, stifling heat and tropical storms – fill Shirin with a familiar and growing ache for the land and the people that she loves.
With the recollections though, come dark clouds of scandal and secrets. Secrets that forced her to flee her old life and keep her from ever returning.
Thousands of miles away, in Bangalore, the daughter of Shirin’s brother discovers a lost, forgotten photograph. One that has escaped the flames.
Determined to solve the mystery of an aunt she never knew, Reena’s efforts will set in place a chain of events that expose the painful trauma of the past and irrevocably change the path of the future.
5 Star
It's no secret that I love books set in India and England, so Monsoon Memories was a definite pleasure to read as it combined the best of both of those worlds. Alternating between past and present and these two countries, D'Silva weaves a tale so rich and complex in detail and history that I found it quite impossible to put the book down. The characters really came to life for me and I grew attached and invested in them and what was going to happen.
The details are rich, vivid and so well described that I truly felt at times that I was there or at least was hearing the story first hand from the main character. The story gripped me and made me gobble it up and long for more. I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough and was racing through the book to find out what would happen even as at the same time, I didn't want it to end.
This was a book with many very powerful moments. It had many heartbreaking moments, many things that were hard to hear about or even imagine though I can understand tradition and desire and all of those things that made the story unfold as it did. There were also definite moments that showed the tenacity and strength that someone can posses within. There were also moments that made me smile in their gentle kindness.
Truly Renita DSilva is a wonderful author who has a natural gift at storytelling that truly impressed and awed me. I can't wait to read something else from her and am also curious where she got her inspiration for this wonderful story. Even the ending was truly done in such a great way that did not disappoint, which is my main complaint with books at times. So from start to finish I loved this book and couldn't recommend it more.
Thank you to Bookouture for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
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I also read this wonderful book and felt like I was travelling along with Shirin and Reena in their journey. I am recommending this to my book club and anyone I know who reads. Thanks to Renita D'Silva for a truly great read.
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