Book Review: The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi

 

Book: The Secret Keeper of Jaipur 

Author: Alka Joshi 

Pages: 309

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~4 hours 

Plot Summary: In New York Times bestselling author Alka Joshi’s intriguing new novel, henna artist Lakshmi arranges for her protégé, Malik, to intern at the Jaipur Palace in this tale rich in character, atmosphere, and lavish storytelling.

It’s the spring of 1969, and Lakshmi, now married to Dr. Jay Kumar, directs the Healing Garden in Shimla. Malik has finished his private school education. At twenty, he has just met a young woman named Nimmi when he leaves to apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace. Their latest project: a state-of-the-art cinema.

Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood. Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class, and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried. When the cinema’s balcony tragically collapses on opening night, blame is placed where it is convenient. But Malik suspects something far darker and sets out to uncover the truth. As a former street child, he always knew to keep his own counsel; it’s a lesson that will serve him as he untangles a web of lies.

General Thoughts: This is the second book in the Jaipur Trilogy by Alka Joshi. The first book in this series was The Henna Artist and it is reviewed here. 

Things I Liked:

1. It was nice to revisit the characters from The Henna Artist and know where they are and what they have been up to. It was a nice little reunion, which is one of the best things about sequels. We have Lakshmi, our intrepid henna artist, who now lives in Shimla with her husband, Dr. Jay Kumar, and her ward, Mallik. Radha, Lakshmi's sister, now lives in Paris with her husband and two daughters- she works as a perfumer at Chanel. Lakshmi and Radha have both landed on their feet and are well settled, which was nice to see. 

2. We are introduced to a new character in this book- Nimmi- a tribal woman from the upper Himalayas. Nimmi is a widow with two young children and she and Mallik fall in love and want to be together. Nimmi resents Lakshmi for sending Mallik away to Jaipur to learn about the construction business. The evolution of Nimmi and Lakshmi's relationship is nicely shown- from mistrust to trust and respect. 

3. We also get to meet some of our known characters from Jaipur- Manu and Kanta Agarwal, friends of Lakshmi, as well the Singhs- Samir, his wife, his son- Ravi. The Singhs have prospered even more and are one of the most powerful and influential families in Jaipur now. 

4. The book starts with the opening night of a plush new theatre in Jaipur that has been commissioned by the Maharani and built by the Singh's construction firm. However, there are some irregularities in the quality of the construction materials, which Mallik, as an intern, discovers. He tries to save Manu Agarwal's job (as the head of royal projects) and when he is not able to achieve much, he calls Lakshmi to Jaipur to help their family friends. 

5. There is an inter-connected mystery between Shimla (involving Nimmi and Lakshmi) and what Mallik discovers amongst the debris of the collapsed theatre in Jaipur, which was nicely done. 

Things I Didn't Like: 

1. I didn't much care about Nimmi and her story. I mean, she is okay, but I didn't warm up to her or her complicated feelings towards Lakshmi. To me, she was written, to start with, as the evil new bahu, who resents the hold her mother-in-law has on her husband. I'd much rather have had Radha be in Shimla and see her life and her evolving relationship with Lakshmi. 

2. Lakshmi being able to resolve everything satisfactorily in Jaipur due to her connections with the Dowager Queen was a bit much. The mystery behind the collapse of the theatre and the smuggling incidents in Shimla had a nice build-up but it proved to be quite anti-climatic ultimately. 

3. Ravi Singh, Samir's son, was an ineffective, pointless villain. Almost like a paper tiger. Didn't understand why he was needed at all. 

4. The pace of the book was slow with several boring elements and it lacked the soul of the first book. There was little compelling me to persevere with the book, apart from just wanting to finish it. 

Rating: 3/5