The vivid, unruly novel Anappara wrote defies easy classification. Given the sometimes capricious exploits of its young investigators, "Djinn Patrol On The Purple Line" could conceivably be shelved in the YA mystery section. Yet Anappara also plays in a self-aware manner with the narrative; for instance, interspersing victims’ … accounts of their disappearances within the main story. By novel's end, the tale darkens into urban noir. Even so, Jai's pliant voice retains a stubborn cheerfulness, a will to believe in the possibility of deliverance in this fallen world.” —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR Sometimes, voice is all ... it’s their singular voices that give...characters their life and complexity. So it is with Jai, a 9-year-old Indian boy who’s the narrator and main character of Deepa Anappara’s extraordinary debut novel.”— Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post The story is told primarily from Jai’s point of view, and he was a terrific child, but then there are also chapters from the point of view of each of the missing children. So, I liked the descriptions and the voices, but I’m just not that crazy about child detectives. Overall, I found the book both educational and moving. Scott Shane's outstanding work Flee North tells the little-known tale of an unlikely partnership ... Deepa: I am studying for a Creative-Critical Writing PhD at the moment, as part of which I am working on a historical novel.

Who Cares About One Missing Child in an Indian Slum? Another Who Cares About One Missing Child in an Indian Slum? Another

But what begins as a game turns sinister as other children start disappearing from their neighborhood. Jai, Pari, and Faiz have to confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force, and rumours of soul-snatching djinns. As the disappearances edge ever closer to home, the lives of Jai and his friends will never be the same again.While investigating a series of missing children taken from an unnamed Indian slum, Jai and his friends Pari and Faiz, the central protagonists in Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, come across many pictures and iconography depicting Hindu gods. Here are some brief insights into the mythology surrounding a handful of these deities. It was as if she existed solely to care for her brother and a house. Afterwards, she would similarly look after her husband. Her hands smelling of cow dung cakes. Her own dreams were inconsequential. It seemed to her that no one could see the ambition that thrummed in her. No one imagined her becoming someone.” It’s difficult to convey what’s so special about Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line without spoilers, but suffice to say it’s transformed utterly by its concluding chapters... [Anappara] delivers something more powerful and complex than the vast majority of more highly crafted novels. The narrative goes beyond portraying how the poor of India have been betrayed by their government, and suggests they might also be betrayed by the stories we like to tell about them. Jai has to grow up overnight: this book asks that the reader does, too. Sandra Newman, *A dazzling debut* Guardian

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is a Careful Study on - WWAC Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is a Careful Study on - WWAC

a b c d "The 2020 JCB Prize for Literature Shortlist Announced". Outlook. 25 September 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020 . Retrieved 1 October 2020. Since he had been born, she had considered Jai with a blend of loathing and admiration. It seemed to her that he had a way of softening the imperfections of life with his his daydreams and the self confidence that the world granted boys. Which, in girls, was considered a character flaw or evidence of a dismal upbringing.” In this thrilling reading experience, Deepa Anappara creates a drama of childhood that is as wild as it is intimate. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is an entertaining, wonderful debut Chigozie Obioma, Booker-prize shortlisted author of An Orchestra of Minorities Our gods are too busy to hear our prayers, but ghosts - ghosts have nothing to do but wait and wander, wander and wait, and they are always listening to our words because they are bored and that‘s one way to pass the time.”Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is likely to be one of the country's standout works of fiction in 2020 Asian Image, *Books to Look Our For in 2020*

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line — Deepa Anappara Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line — Deepa Anappara

The reason why this method works for Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is because this book isn’t designed for a foreign audience—this isn’t the poverty porn of Slumdog Millionaire. This book is very obviously catering to English-speaking Indian readers. The language and vocabulary that Anappara uses won’t be familiar to non-Indians. Nor does Anappara include footnotes or a dictionary for the reader. Will that seem alienating for non-Indian readers? I should hope not. You might find yourself googling a lot, but it won’t affect the reading experience. The prose perfectly captures all the characters' youthful voices, complete with some Hindi and Urdu terms, whose meanings, if not immediately obvious, become clear with repetition. Anappara's complex and moving tale showcases a strong talent.however! by the end, i found that i had warmed up to the story and characters. i was enjoying the book much more in the final stretch than i did at the beginning. so i guess thats something! i also really like the authors note at the end to understand her inspiration behind the book. Since December, people in India have been participating in peaceful marches (apart from those who have resorted to stone pelting) because they want to have their problems heard and solved. Instead of concentrating on The Personal Data Protection Bill, which is said to have the potential to ‘turn India into an Orwellian state’, or the Trans Bill, which violates the fundamental rights of citizens, we are choosing to focus only on religious issues today. This misplaced focus has led to a number of problematic bills getting passed, thereby pushing the common man’s problems down to the bottom of the barrel to get lost and forgotten. This is also the case in the book, where the authorities choose to play a blame-game based on religion rather than focussing on the actual investigation into the case of the vanishing children. Nine-year-old Jai lives in a slum on the outskirts of an unnamed Indian city with his parents and older sister. In many ways he is an unremarkable boy: he watches reality cop shows on TV, attends the overcrowded government school, and tries to stay out of trouble. But when one of his classmates goes missing, Jai – taking inspiration from the television programmes he devours – turns amateur detective and vows to uncover the mystery of the disappearance. With the help of his two best friends – sensible swot Pari and diligent Faiz – they form a comically hapless trio and set off on the city metro’s purple line to investigate. This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in March 2020, and has been updated for the However, beyond the cultural commentary of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, the actual story is quite the slow-burn. Maybe a bit too slow, in my opinion. I found myself struggling to stay captivated by the story, wishing it would move at a better pace.

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara - Waterstones Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara - Waterstones

A dazzling journey into the heart of India and its most vulnerable citizens -- its impoverished and disenfranchised children. A novel at once brimming with the wonder of childhood innocence, and constrained by the heartache of living amidst injustice and prejudice. Deepa Anappara shows us a modern, dangerously divided India that has long needed to be seen Nazanine Hozar, author of Aria My elbows wobble on the bed, so I lean my legs against the wall. Runu-Didi stops counting the seconds I have been topsy-turvy and says, "Arrey, Jai, I'm right here and still you're cheating-cheating. You have no shame, kya?" Her voice is high and jumpy because she's too happy that I can't stay upside down for as long as she can.Anappara creates an endearing and highly engaging narrator to navigate us through the dark underbelly of modern India' Observer It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas, we're talking about ShortBox Comics Fair. The brilliant small... In an unnamed city in India, a child disappears. Local police are called, but they don’t care. The child is from a basti, a shantytown on the outskirts of the city towered over by marble-floored ‘Hi-fi’ condos where people who do matter live. Nine-year-old protagonist Jai takes inspiration from his favourite reality-TV programme, Police Patrol, and from fictional sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi, forming a ‘detectiving team’ and recruiting his friends Pari and Faiz to find their missing neighbour. While they hunt for clues, more children vanish. That part of the book ends with a section told from Bahadur’s viewpoint narrating the events immediately prior to his disappearance (but with not the disappearance itself). Anappara's characters brim with swagger and spirit and she creates a world of wit, warmth and heart Nina Stibbe