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Loading... Exiled to Freedomby S GD Singh
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Seventeen-year-old Joti lives a peaceful life on her ancestral farm in Punjab, far from political turmoil, foreign wars, and the struggle for independence. Then, in the summer of 1947, her country is suddenly partitioned to create two sovereign nations-Pakistan and India. Punjab erupts into a shattered land of nightmares, torn apart by death and destruction. Before the violence subsides, millions of people will have lost their lives and Joti will be one of the countless refugees struggling to survive one of the greatest human tragedies of the modern era.In the summer of 2018, seventeen-year-old Priya travels from her home in New York City to her great-grandmother's farm in Punjab. As she searches for meaning in the materialistic and shallow existences of her American family, she becomes determined to uncover the mysteries of the past and heal her family's wounds left too long unattended. Priya soon finds herself on an adventure of discovery, learning what it is to love and what it means to know true peace. No library descriptions found. |
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Priya becomes interested in her great-grandmother's life and past. Her grandmother becomes willing to share her experiences during Partition, when Pakistan was formed, and Indians and Muslims alike had to scramble to get to the proper side, or risk grave consequences. Each night the tale is told more and more people come to hear. The end of the story reveals that Priya's grandmother has a dear wish to repay the descendants of a soldier who gave her a pack to hold, before stepping out into near certain death so the refugees packed in a train car got through safely. The story takes a bizarre turn, morphing into an Ocean's 11 heist attempt to help her grandmother's wish to come true.
Okay, I admit, at first I found Priya to be a spoiled little brat. She did mature over the course of the story, and I loved that she helped the dog. Really, that level of compassion swayed my opinion of her. Then she decided to help make her grandmother's wish come true, and while an impractical, fantastical plan, she and Rohit pull it off. My favourite part was the history of Partition, and what Priya's grandmother went through because it was a real part of history. A sadly brutal part of history full of atrocities.
The heist part at the end wasn't really believable to me, but it was fun and it lightened the atmosphere after the Partition tale, while still being tied to it. I also find it difficult to believe the love connection Priya found. It seems way too short a time frame for such love and devotion. Recommended read!
***Many thanks to the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for Lola's Blog Tours ( )