4.25

Under the Tamarind Tree follows the lives of four childhood friends, with a focus on Rozeena, a young doctor whose family fled to Pakistan during partition.
It's told in dual timelines, both set in Karachi. The earlier timeless being in 1964  leading up to an event which shaped the lives of the charactees and the later timeline set in 2019 after Rozeena has retired, and forms a bond with the granddaughter of one of her old friends.

From the beginning I found this book intriguing. I haven't read a lot about partition and the effects it had for years afterwards on those affected by it. However, it's an area of history that I've been wanting to learn more about.

One thing I loved so much about this novel was how believable and fleshed out the characters were. That along with the compelling setting kept me interested throughout. 

I will say that I did enjoy the historical timeline more than I did the modern day sections, which often happens to me with dual timeline books like this one.

However, overall this was a throughly enjoyable novel about societal pressures, friendship, secrets and how history impacts generations. Definitely glad I read it


*I received this book via Netgalley*