Trouble in the Tea Gardens

When I started reading Trouble in the Tea Gardens by Mitali Perkins, I was struck by how similar several elements were to Tiger Boy. An intelligent small-town child capable of winning a scholarship to get a better education, a teacher with the child’s best interests at heart, a power-hungry, avaricious person in authority … I wondered if I was going to enjoy another story that followed the same lines. 

But soon enough, I realised that the similarities end there. The mystery in Trouble in the Tea Gardens is gripping, and I love how everything ties up as the story goes on. A pacy read, I was soon thoroughly invested in the characters, eager to know how the story would play out.

Set in Darjeeling, Trouble in the Tea Gardens is a slim book weaves together a range of serious themes with subtlety and nuance. The protagonist Sona is the daughter of a Nepali tea plantation worker. Through her eyes, we see the complex structure of a society comprising Tibetans, Nepalis and Bengalis. Even within the Banerji family, which supposedly has the power, it is only the patriarch who truly wields authority. His niece Tara is as much at his mercy as Sona’s family.

Through blossoming friendships, a desire to cross boundaries and the struggle to do the right thing, Sona has our heart. In her quest for truth, she remains fiercely loyal, sensitive and brave, making us root for her until the very end of this satisfying middle-grade mystery.