Secret Keeper

November 17, 2008
In an intimate and absorbing drama about a displaced Indian family in the 1970s, Perkins (Monsoon Summer
) vividly highlights the conflict between traditional Indian values and feminist ideals. After Asha’s father goes to America in search of a new job, the rest of the family moves from Delhi to Calcutta to live in the more restrictive household headed by her grandmother. As often as she can, Asha escapes to the rooftop to confide her woes to her “secret keeper,” a diary; breaking the rules of the house, she also befriends the son of the family next door, who gazes at her through a window. But their relationship changes irrevocably when tragedy prompts Asha to make a painful sacrifice for the sake of her mother and sister. Readers may not always agree with Asha’s bold decisions, but they will admire her courage and selflessness as she puts her family’s needs before her own. Besides offering insight into Indian culture, Perkins offers a moving portrait of a rebellious teen who relies on ingenuity rather than charm to prove her worth. Ages 12–up.

March 1, 2009
Gr 7-10-In the mid-1970s, when her engineer father loses his job and leaves India to look for employment in America, 16-year old Asha; her 17-year old sister, Reet; and their mother move in with their uncle's family in Calcutta. Beautiful Reet attracts many suitors, and her uncle soon begins to look for a suitable marriage proposal. But impulsive Asha, who promised her father that she would take good care of her sister, manages to publicly humiliate the first serious candidate. Asha hopes to become a psychologist, but her aspirations are curtailed by her lack of finances and concern about the family's reputation. She finds solace writing in her diary, the "secret keeper," on the roof of the house. Here she befriends Jay, who watches her from a window in the house next door. He wants to become a painter and, to Asha's surprise, he takes a liking to her. Since conventions would not allow them to meet in public, he draws her portrait from a distance. Well-developed characters, funny dialogue, and the authentic depiction of spunky Asha's longing for romance and female self-determination, set in a culture that restrains women's choices, make this book an attractive pick for teenage girls. In the end, a surprising sacrifice by Asha demonstrates her emotional maturity and her love for her sister. An author's note explains the turbulent times during Indira Gandhi's regime that influence the narrative. Pair this appealing novel with Padma Venkatraman's Climbing the Stairs (Putnam, 2008), a similar story set in India during World War II.Monika Schroeder, American Embassy School, New Delhi, India

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2008
Grades 7-12 Arranged marriages and the role of women are at the core of this novel set in Calcutta, India, in 1957 and told from the viewpoint of Asha Gupta, 16. With her father seeking work in America, Asha, together with her gorgeous older sister, Reet, and their depressed mother, must move in with relatives, who are not at all welcoming. Unlike Reet, Asha is dismissed as dark, skinny, flatchested, with little chance of snaring a good husband, which is all a good Bengali girl should do. She keeps quiet about her college dreams except withthe boy next door, who paints her portraitwhen they meet secretly. But as things get worse at home, she must rescue Reet from a horrific arranged marriage. Born in India and raised in the U.S., Perkins knows the traditions; in fact, there is sometimes too much cultural detail. But the plot is full of surprising secrets rooted in the characters conflicts and deep connections with each other. The two sisters and their mutual sacrifices are both heartbreaking and hopeful.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)