(#gifted @womensprize) I had the opportunity to choose a few books from the Women’s Prize longlist to review on my feed, and I’m feeling very happy with the first of my three choices! Honestly I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed this one given how much issue I usually take with books narrated by children. But Jai completely drew me in, with his tenacious attitude and determination to solve a series of crime no adult seems to be interested in solving.

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After years of living and working as a reporter in India, Deepa Anappara has had plenty of experience talking with children for stories, and it shows. She wanted to capture the cheekiness, the lively attitude of kids who remain hopeful even when they’re neglected by their country, and she definitely achieves this. I loved Jai, Pari, who knows she’s cleverer than the two boys and isn’t afraid to remind them, and Faiz who is always enterprising despite the backlash he receives for being Muslim.

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It’s estimated that 180 children a day go missing in India, and Anappara wanted to change that statistic into more than just a number, into the faces of those children who disappear and don’t receive any media attention unless their kidnapper, trafficker or murderer is caught.

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When told through the innocent yet blunt eyes of a child, issues such as overcrowded slums, human trafficking and religious prejudices and tensions seem even starker. A child just tells it as he sees it, no elaboration or justification, allowing you to see the unfairness of it all untainted.

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But of course, there’s the other side of a child narrator. The hopeful side, the finding happiness in the little things such as racing home with your dog by your side, something delicious and home-cooked. This is a bleak novel in many ways, but Jai manages to find little snippets of positivity no matter how much chaos he finds himself in the middle of, no matter how much he is grieving.

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I really can’t praise Anappara’s narrative voice enough, this is such a unique blend of tragedy and optimism which I really recommend!