I first heard of The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi from Reese’s Book Club, which you should check out if you love books as much as I do, her picks are great. The Henna Artist is an incredible debut novel that had me hooked from the very beginning.
The story takes place in 1950s Jaipur and follows Lakshmi as she thrives as the most sought after henna artist by the city’s elite. Lakshmi is skilled, ambitious, and relishes her independence. As she caters to the rich, she is privy to all their secrets and gossip they share, but she never reveals any of her own.
Lakshmi’s life is turned upside down when she learns that her parents have passed away, and the news is delivered by her husband Hari, whom she fled from thirteen years ago. But Hari didn’t show up alone, he showed up with Lakshmi’s thirteen year old sister Radha. Lakshmi never knew she had a sister until that day, and she has to learn to navigate her life of independence and freedom while caring for her younger sister who is coming of age.
Lakshmi is a strong woman navigating in a man’s world. She paved her own way by working hard and using the knowledge and skills she obtained growing up. But, she knows her place in society and doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers along the way.
Radha is a curious and headstrong girl who finally meets the sister she only heard about from the gossipers in town. She feels unwanted by Lakshmi, and abandoned by her parents who died and left her to fend for herself. But Radha was resourceful and made her way to Jaipur to find Lakshmi.
The book depicts the hardships that women face in 1950s India, and touches on adultery, abuse, India’s caste system, unwanted pregnancies, abortion, love, and independence.
I love that Joshi wrote the novel in first person because we get to see the story unfold from Lakshmi’s point of view, and feel her love for her family, her pain when things fall apart, and resilience when she tries to mend the situation or aid others.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. Joshi hit it out of the park on her first go! The story has a few twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting, and introduces lovely and colourful characters that I couldn’t help fall in love with.
Pick up a copy if you’re interested in Laksmi’s journey and travel to 1950s Jaipur.