"Such Big Dreams" is author Reema Patel's debut novel. It offers a fresh look at life in contemporary India from the perspectives of its characters. The story centers around 22 year old Rakhi. Her life has been difficult. Losing her parents at a young age, she lived on the streets from age 9 to age 12 and then was sent to an orphanage by the police. When the story begins, Rakhi is working as a poorly paid office assistant to an imperious attorney, whom Rakhi calls "Gauri Ma'am". The attorney is the director of a human rights legal practice for impoverished people. While Gauri's staff of attorneys and foreign interns respect her, they do not like her.
The story is peopled with interesting, well-drawn characters, including:
Babloo - the 10 year old boy who looks out for the 9 year old Rakhi when she comes to live on the rough streets of Mumbai.
Alex - the Canadian intern who takes an interest in Rakhi and encourages her to think about college.
Vivek - an attorney whose warmth and good nature shines through the book's pages.
Tazim - Rakhi's neighbor and only friend.
The story is all about Rakhi's coming of age. Starting with nothing, she must learn what is truly important to living a good life and how to gauge who is trustworthy.
The author's writing is original and creative, peppered with Hindi words. *The book becomes darker as it progresses - a bit too bleak for me. This is not a "feel good" story, as it examines some of the ugly aspects of human behavior.
Personal Notes: I met my friend Shantha when we were both the same age as Rakhi, 22 years old. We were Social Work students together. Shantha had worked with the street kids in India before coming to the U.S. to study. I remember her telling me about her experiences, including sharing her salary with them.
As a birder, it interested me that crows were featured so many times in the book.
The story is peopled with interesting, well-drawn characters, including:
Babloo - the 10 year old boy who looks out for the 9 year old Rakhi when she comes to live on the rough streets of Mumbai.
Alex - the Canadian intern who takes an interest in Rakhi and encourages her to think about college.
Vivek - an attorney whose warmth and good nature shines through the book's pages.
Tazim - Rakhi's neighbor and only friend.
The story is all about Rakhi's coming of age. Starting with nothing, she must learn what is truly important to living a good life and how to gauge who is trustworthy.
The author's writing is original and creative, peppered with Hindi words. *The book becomes darker as it progresses - a bit too bleak for me. This is not a "feel good" story, as it examines some of the ugly aspects of human behavior.
Personal Notes: I met my friend Shantha when we were both the same age as Rakhi, 22 years old. We were Social Work students together. Shantha had worked with the street kids in India before coming to the U.S. to study. I remember her telling me about her experiences, including sharing her salary with them.
As a birder, it interested me that crows were featured so many times in the book.