Love And Lipgloss Reviews: Book Review: Sister India by Peggy Payne ((GIVEAWAY ENDS MARCH 5 @10PM EST))

Hi everyone! It's book review time! And guess what a giveaway as well! Woo hoo! Today I will be reviewing "Sister India" by Peggy Payne. This book was quite different than what I typically read and in a setting outside of the United States. Personally, it was a strange yet interesting book at all times and I think that is what kept me engaged throughout. Let's get started while I guide you along my journey with this novel!

About The Book

(From the book listing website and the book itself.)

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Riverhead Books (February 5, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1573229105
ISBN-13: 978-1573229104
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 8 inches

My Review

As mentioned earlier, this book is quite a unique one indeed. The setting of this book is mainly taken place Varanasi, India which is quite a "holy" place to be and live in. The main character of this novel is "Estelle" an overweight/obese American woman that has lived in North Carolina (USA) but fleets to Varansi for safe haven. That by itself was pretty impactful and moving as it happened fairly quickly in my perspective. I have read other reviews where they mention the setting taking over a lot of the novel but I would agree with them just because the setting is quite important. Varansi is quite different than life in America with customs, belief and just the daily lifestyle.

This book has average sized font and pages in my opinion. I would say that it is mainly geared the 14-30 age range but anybody over that age can also enjoy it. I would say that just because of some of the imagery and not so appropriate language in it so really 14+ should be safe age-wise. Personally I found this book pretty engaging at all points, you know those movies that have suspense at every moment? Or something that is so weird but it interests you in the strangest ways? It's almost like you shouldn't read anymore but you want to. This is definitely one of these books. There is also lots of flashbacks in this novel where Estelle thinks back to her past with North Carolina and painful tidbits of her past.

Overall I think this book is pretty fantastic. The title or the cover didn't really engage me to want and read more but I am so glad that I did. The main "thesis" of this novel is the new life that she leads and the relationships that she gains. I don't like giving too many spoiler alerts but the main "turning" point I would say is that after a Muslim is found murdered, the town enforces strict laws about curfew. There Estelle has been almost "forced" to talk to others and really engage with them. This novel really portrays a different lifestyle than most of us live, to me its almost like a news report put into a novel beautifully. The author is also a travel writer and loves writing about her travels and everything she learns. To me, I think that is one aspect of how "realistic" the setting of this novel is and how nicely detailed it is as well. Stay tuned for the giveaway!