Book Spotlight: Shadow of the Taj by Lara Bernhardt

Tom and his wife Leslie are visiting India for a few months while Tom pursues research for his doctorate thesis. While they’re both hoping for a kind of delayed honeymoon, an opportunity to mend what’s been going wrong in their relationship and re-ignite the flames of love for each other, things don’t exactly go as planned. On a sightseeing trip to the zoo, Leslie meets a beggar girl and is immediately compelled to rescue her from a life of poverty and abuse. The ensuing events will either bind them closer together or shatter their marriage forever…

I’m always on the lookout for good books set in Asia, so Shadow of the Taj caught my eye. While the unfortunate cover gave me second thoughts, it was a free ARC, so why not take a chance on it? I was not disappointed.

The author has either visited India or done her research well. Descriptions of sights, sounds and smells felt vivid and authentic. My personal favorite was the description of the teenage girls trying to catch the drops of ice cream as they dripped down onto their bangles.

However, the descriptions of men engaging in extremely lewd behavior in public seemed farfetched to me, (at least based on my own experiences elsewhere in Asia—I have never been to India.)

Certain characters’ ability to speak flawless English seemed a little too convenient at times, and there was the occasional scene when two Indians would speak to each other in English, for no other apparent reason than it allowed the author to provide the main character (Leslie) with information she wouldn’t otherwise have had.

Also, I found it odd that after six months in India, Leslie seemed unable to speak a word of Hindi, or to be able to determine whether the people around her were speaking Hindi or some other language. Can you tell I’m picky about these things?

But these were very small flies in the ointment of an excellent story. It’s not Poor Brown Girl is Rescued by Rich White Mama, or Soulful, Compassionate and Misunderstood Wife is Squelched by Boorish Husband Until She Finds Her Higher Purpose. It easily could have been either, or both, but it’s not. Leslie is so real—selfish and selfless in equal measure. Brave and stupid. Hopeful and bitter. Childish and childlike. I’m infuriated by her, but can’t help want all the best for her.

Tom is excellently portrayed as well, a blend of kindness, stubbornness, and male practicality. Giving him at least a few POV chapters would have been an amazing move, but as the story progresses and we realize that Leslie is not who we first think she is, it becomes clear Tom isn’t either. They’re not caricatures of anything—they’re themselves, and that’s what makes this a great book.

Rhea was a lovely side character. However, she must know that women should exchange their glass bangles for metal ones when they marry, or accidents will almost certainly occur.

Shardul, the bad guy, was just bad. Bad, bad bad, and thus, the weakest character in a book of otherwise strong characters.

I’d love a book about Leslie’s mother—or rather, about Leslie and her mother. The way her faith in God simultaneously weakened and strengthened her daughter was fascinating.

I should note that some of the descriptions of sexual activity are fairly graphic—though one scene is absolutely necessary to the plot and, in its own way beautiful—the way Leslie is treated by the Bad Guy seems overdone, and I think the story would have been just as strong if that had been “toned down” considerably.

Except for the very end, which felt a little “clunky,” Shadow of the Taj is a beautifully smooth romantic suspense story…and hey, best of all, it’s about a married couple! Nice to know I’m not the only one who likes writing/reading those.

So—five stars for the characters, four for the suspense plot, four for the romance plot, four for the writing/editing—all in all, Shadow of the Taj gets a fair four-start rating.