Book guide
The Henna Artist
A gifted henna artist in 1950s Jaipur fights to protect her hard-won independence when the abusive husband she escaped returns with a sister she never knew existed.
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About The Henna Artist
After escaping an arranged and abusive marriage as a teenager, Lakshmi builds a new life in Jaipur, where the main story unfolds in the 1950s. There she becomes the henna artist--and confidante--most in demand to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own. Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow--a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those who surround her as she does. Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman's struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.
Reading signals
- Spice
- Light
- Darkness
- Balanced
- Pacing
- Balanced
Series
The Jaipur Trilogy · Book 1 of 3
Content warnings
- abusive marriage
- domestic abuse
- miscarriage/abortion
- death
- classism
- family estrangement
- sexual abuse
- sexual content
- infertility
- stillbirth
- suicide
- infidelity
- sexual harassment
- sexism
