#AlisaReadstheWorld: India

This story is about a 9-year-old boy who lives in a slum beside a luxury high rise in an Indian metropolis. He and his two friends investigate as children go missing from their neighborhood, since police do nothing even after being bribed. There is a sweet naiveté and resilience that is brought to the story by basing it on the voices of children.

The author is an Indian journalist who didn't have the chance to publish the stories of missing children as she wanted, so she wrote these characters as stand-ins for the estimated 180 children who go missing (read: are kidnapped) every day across India. Few of their names—let alone their stories— ever make the news. Class divides and abuse of minorities pile on top of the awful crimes and injustices already committed. All of that is present in the novel.

The writing is full of beautiful, physical language. The audiobook drew out the tangible quality of the words, sounds, and accents.