The Henna Artist

“Allow me to present Mrs. Lakshmi Shastri, purveyor of beauty to all of Jaipur.”

And so we are led into the captivating life of Lakshmi Shastri, an ambitious young woman navigating the paradisal, sublime Pink City of India.

Escaping from an abusive marriage, she finds work as a courtesan in Agra, but her exquisite henna skills soon catch the eye of Samir Singh, a renowned architect of the Kshatriya clan, who encourages her to go to Jaipur. Taking up the profession of a henna artist, she slowly makes her way into the homes of Jaipur’s most influential women and becomes privy to the shrouded secrets of the upper-class. However, her carefully curated world of prominence, influence, and discretion, comes tearing down when she unexpectedly comes face to face with her husband, who imposes her with a sister she never knew she had. What follows is the story of struggle and perseverance of a woman who is determined to reach for greater things than those written in her destiny, in a society where the caste system is still prevalent, the wealthy rule the social circles, and reputations are everything. Alka Joshi in her debut novel beautifully describes the workings of the wheel of fortune that can change direction without warning: sometimes taking you very high, sometimes throwing you very low. Lakshmi Shastri’s journey, as she carves out her life the way she wants, making decisions for herself, coupled with the exotic, vividly rich descriptions of one of India’s finest cities, makes this book an unputdownable one.

I had read raving reviews of ‘The Henna Artist’ literally everywhere, and I wanted to see for myself the attraction this book held. After skimming the blurb, I was intrigued and, tout de suite, started reading the book. I was so captivated with the alluring plot and writing and descriptions and themes of resilience and hope and healing, I finished it in a day :’)

Can’t wait to read the sequel ‘The Secret Keeper of Jaipur’!

Happy reading 🦢