Recently, I revisited a review of a book I loved - My Name is Rose. The book made a particularly powerful impression on me because the lead character cannot speak, not because she is mute, but because of the weight of the world on her shoulders.Nisha from The Night Diary is a character just like that. Already overcome by crippling shyness and enormous social inhibitions, life does not do Nisha any favours. There are only two people in the world Nisha feels comfortable talking to - her twin Amil, and their domestic help who is practically family, Kazi.To top it all, it is the year 1947 and everything is beginning to change. Nisha, all of 12, is puzzled by how swiftly things seem to fall apart. India, still under British rule, is growing more and more polarised, and she finds that the way she looks at people is beginning to alter. As the weeks go by and she hears whispers of … [Read more...]