Anjali Mitter Duva

faint promise of rain by Anjali Mitter Duva is a superb historical novel that takes us to the desert of India during the 16th century. Adhira, the youngest child in a family of Hindu temple dancers, tells her story. She begins by saying:

In Rajasthan, where I was born, a child of five is likely never to have seen rain. For hundreds of years, the monsoons have been elusive. In the children's rooms in the royal palace, not far from what used to be my family's home, the walls are painted with black and blue cloud designs, so the little ones will not be afraid when the skies finally break open. But for less fortunate children, such as my brothers and sister, the day of their first rain can mean an intensity of fear and hope.

It is fear and hope that are at the core of Adhira's life. A Muslim emperor threatens with an expansion of his territory, there is threat of rebellion from within when her eldest brother declares he will become a warrior rather than follow tradition, the uncertain future of the younger son who is crippled, and the surety that Adhira's father, a pious man, will force her to "marry" the temple deity and give herself to a wealthy patron. An act that she doesn't even understand until long after she is promised to the temple at the age of 5.… (mer)