Review: Beneath an Indian Sky: A heartbreaking historical novel of family secrets, betrayal and love

Beneath an Indian Sky: A heartbreaking historical novel of family secrets, betrayal and love by Renita D'Silva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book of Renita D’Silva that I have read. A great story, coupled with some excellent writing makes this a wonderful read!

The principal characters are – Sita, born to a conservative family like any other in the early 20th century and Mary, the daughter of English parents who are in India. Sita is determined to somehow make more of her life than simply getting married. She and Mary become friends, and Mary provides Sita freedom and change to the extent she can – such as loaning her books to read. Mary’s father also provides Sita with opportunities to participate in meetings with the local people. It is almost as if the girls are in the opposite families – Sita, constantly wanting to rebel among conservative parents, and Mary being hesitant & measured, among more unconventional parents. And there is Amin, a mutual friend with whom, both Sita and Mary hang around. Amin is balanced and content with a small ambition of becoming a boatman.

Sita meets the crown prince, who finds her charming and they are married after a painful waiting period. Very soon, Sita becomes the queen, wielding enormous influence, as she always aspired. The sequences around the time when Sita announces that she is pregnant are a little unnatural, in contrast to the rest of the story. On the other hand, Mary faces tragedy as her parents pass away in an accident. She then moves to England but is to return to India after a few years – but faces further heartbreak and tragedy, especially as the result of a chance encounter on her trip to India.

The story is told in 3 separate timelines, all of which merge beautifully. The first two timelines are about Sita and Mary, and only at about 1/3rd of the book, I had some sense for where this was heading. The third timeline in 2000 deals with the story of Priya who finds out that her husband of many years, Jacob is cheating on her. While a side of her wants things to be back to the way they were between her and Jacob, she also realizes it will probably never be and she will have to move on. Her father encourages that they make a trip to India and that is where it all comes together.

A beautifully written story, which I strongly recommend!

My rating: 4.5 / 5.

View all my reviews