Karma (edition 2011)

VOYA - Lona Trulove
Karma is a unique novel written in verse. Maya, a young half Hindu, half Sikh girl, travels to India with her father after a tragedy in her family. Reeling from this event, Maya steps off the plane only to discover that Indira Ghandi, prime minister of India, has just been gunned down. The city of New Delhi is overcome with chaos and violence. Unfortunately, Maya and her father are separated, and Maya begins an amazing and dangerous journey of survival and self-discovery. She finds herself in dangerous situations and sees horrific displays of violence. Maya is overcome with sadness and fear because of all she has been through, so she stops speaking. Fortunately she is befriended by a female doctor and her family. Only with the help of their son and her diary does Maya find her voice, open her heart, and understand not only her family and her religion but also herself. This is wonderful historical fiction. Ostlere does a terrific job of transporting the reader to India, recreating this turbulent time in its history and adding to the mystic by writing the story in verse. It is made all the better because of the tender romance that entwines the story. This is a perfect novel for young adolescent girls who want to be swept away to a different time and place. ( )

Karma is definitely the most complex and thought provoking novel-in-verse I’ve read to date.

Set in 1984 the story starts in Canada but the majority of it takes place in India. The story focuses on fifteen-year-old Maya who is half Hindu, half Sikh. Her parents wed against both families’ wishes and both of their beliefs.

After Maya’s mother commits suicide, her and her father travel to India to spread her ashes. While there, terror rocks the nation when the Prime Minister is murdered and all chaos breaks loose. Sikhs are now being hunted down and brutally murdered.

Caught up in the middle of this bloody massacre, Maya’s father abandon’s her to find help. Scared and alone, Maya is forced to try and survive on her own, find her father, and make it back home.

Cathy’s use of free verse and poetic way with words made for a beautifully told story, with descriptions that could take your breath away. I found myself tucking little scraps of paper into pages as I read marking my favorite passages.

“The pilot steers along ribbons of light. Green
polar flames rippling in the dark. Long silken
scarves floating on the air. It’s like watching the
wind on fire. Pulsing.”

“I stand up. Stretch my arms out wide to the
empty horizon. Do not be afraid of limitless
possibilities. The desert is infinite to the eye
as love is to the heart.”

“The dream-sky is perfect black. The moon in shadow like a
shy girl hiding behind her mother’s skirt. Yet the
atmosphere hums. Then pulses with light. The pilot
strings the stars together with green ribbons.”

The story is told from the perspectives of three different personal journals; Maya’s diary, Sandeep’s notebook, and Jiva’s journal.

The thing that bothered me most was that many of the characters had multiple names, which got confusing at times. I’m not sure if one was the name and one was the word for mother or father? I’m not really sure, all I know is it was confusing.

Maya/Jiva
Leela/Mata
Amar/Bapu
Pavarti/Deedi
Sandeep/Miraj
Barindra/Pita
Amma/Mina

The other thing that threw me off at times was the use of different fonts and italics to indicate conversation and dialog, leaving me unsure if some things were being spoken or just thought.

While the first half of the book flew by as the momentum built, the story really started to slow down in the second half and you could really feel those last 250 pages.

Objectionable content warning: There are a number of instances with upsetting and brutal violence that would be too much for young readers. ( )

Beautiful historical fiction novel about love, loss, religion, voices and diaries.

Maya is a teen girl born to a Sikh father and Hindu mother. After her mother kills herself, Maya and her father travel to India for a burial. However, the night they arrive, Indira Ghandi is killed by her Sikh guards and the country erupts into chaos.

Told in verse, this haunting tale is one of survival and growth. I couldn't put the book down once I started it and was charmed and moved by every page.

A definite Printz contender. ( )

KARMA is a beautifully written book about self-discovery, and what it means to love.

Not my usual genre of YA book, I was blown away by KARMA – the writing, the story, description and characters all drew me in and kept me captive for the length of the book (and it’s not short!). Maya is an Indian-Canadian teenage girl. The story is written through verse, and is Maya’s diary. Through her, we learn about her family, culture, and life in a small prairie town. Despite the cultural differences, and some family problems, Maya is very much like any other Canadian teenager. It is only after she and her father travel to India to deliver her mother’s ashes to the final resting place that Maya’s life changes drastically, and her emotions, turmoil and uncertainty are reflected perfectly in the short poems that make up the story of KARMA.

An aspect I really liked is that for the middle section of the book, the reader is given the point of view of Sandeep, the boy that takes care of Maya while she is in India, lost without her father and mute from the horror she has seen after the assassination of the Indian Prime Minister. It is immediately apparent when the voice of the story changes, and I grew to like Sandeep very quickly – he’s blunt, observative, kind and fun. He looked after Maya to the best of his ability, and even runs away from home to help her find her father in New Delhi. Sandeep and Maya grow to have a deep connection, and the ending of the novel left me angry on their behalf, but hopeful that things would all work out in the long run.

The short poetry that makes up KARMA’s story is written beautifully, and really lets the reader into the details of Maya’s and Sandeep’s lives. Cathy Ostlere’s writing is very emotional and descriptive – something that I think helps the reader connect to Maya and Sandeep so well. For being a writing style and genre I don’t read very often, I loved KARMA to pieces. ( )

The year is 1984. Fifteen year old Maya packs a suitcase for a trip to India with her father. They are going to lay Maya's recently deceased Hindu mother to rest. Not long after they arrive, however, tumultuous religious differences between the Sikhs and Hindus explode into violence when prime minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated.

Maya and her father, a Sikh, are caught in the middle of the clash and separated when their hotel is attacked. Afraid for her safety because of her Hindu-Sikh parents and her sex, Maya quickly hacks off her long ponytail with a pair of scissors and runs, forgetting her mother's ashes in the hotel room.

The next hours are harrowing for Maya as the riots swell around her, Sikhs and Hindus fighting unrelentingly around her. When she finally emerges from the violence, rescued by a kind desert family but traumatized into muteness, it is only the 17-year old son, Sandeep, devoted to helping Maya find her father, that can save her again.

This historical fiction romance in diary-format free verse will have you turning pages back again and again to reread Maya and Sandeep's words and longing for more after the end. Karma is fraught with emotion, culture, violence, religion fear, but most importantly, family. ( )

A wonderful novel about the changes that a girl experiences after her mother dies and she and her father return to India to spread her ashes. The prime minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated and the country is in turmoil almost as much as Maya is. ( )

I can't say enough about this book. When I say I love it, I really do. I started reading it yesterday and literally couldn't put it down. I forced myself to turn out the light at 2am, and it was with me all day today so I could read a page here and there as I dealt with my day. The story is beautifully written, and such a fast read. I hope many more people read this book. ( )

Karma is defined as action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in reincarnation. This is the main theme woven throughout this novel. The main part of this story takes place during the riots that broke out after Indria Gahndi is gunned down in 1984. Maya is the main character in this novel. She writes down the unfolding of these horrific events in her diary. The riots are between the Hindus and Sikh. The turmoil between these two religious groups results in bloodshed and senseless killings. The background controversy in this story is significant because it's also an internal conflict raging inside Maya. Her father is Hindu and her mother is Sikh. Her parents love each other but cannot escape their difference in beliefs. Maya feels torn between them. She doesn't quite fit in anywhere. Maya's character is very interesting. She starts out as an average teenage girl. Maya's world is thrown into turmoil and she must overcome heart wrenching obstacles to find her way. Her journey into India is one of self discovery and forgiveness. Maya has to choose her path or it will be chosen for her. When Maya looses her voice her story is told through the eyes of Sandeep. Sandeep watches over Maya as a favor to his sister. He is intrigued and enthralled by Maya. His sister thinks that Sandeep can be the one person who can lure Maya from her internal prison. In a way Sandeep and Maya's stories are similar. They are both trying to find out where they belong. I liked Sandeep's character a lot. He's is funny and charming. I really enjoyed reading about him.
Overall I thought this story was fantastic. Even though this book is over 500 pages it's very fast paced. It only took me a few days to read it. Cathy Ostlere did a great job with this novel. I experienced a lot of emotions while reading Kharma. It's funny how a few words can say so much sometimes. This novel is written in beautifully constructed verse. It is a must read. ( )