It's always a treat to find a "new" author, and then discover that they have published at least dozen books that you'll want to read. My "new" author is Sujata Massey, a former Baltimore Sun reporter turned novelist.
According to the book jacket, Ms. Massey's parents were Indian and German but she was raised in the United States. Her Indian background must have been invaluable in creating this first-in-a-series novel set in the Bombay of the early 1920s and featuring a heroine inspired by the first woman to practice law there.
Perveen Mistry is a young woman solicitor from a successful Parsi family of lawyers and a business in real estate construction. Parsis are Indians of Persian descent who follow the Zoroastrian religion. Zoroastrianism dates back to approximately 600 BCE, making it more than 1200 years older than Islam, which overtook it in ancient Persia/Iran. In the 1920s, Bombay had separate religious communities for Moslems, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Jews and Christians, as well as Parsis. Each had their own parallel society and specific legal requirements. A lawyer needed to understand both the religious and civil laws to represent clients. At this time, India is still ruled by the British and that there is a rigid social and legal system with the white British community at the top, no matter how distinguished, successful and wealthy any Indian might be.
Two parallel threads form the narrative, one for Perveen's work and one for her personal life. They are cleverly interwoven in alternate chapters that move between her present and her recent past. In her present, about 1921, she has recently completed her legal studies and works in the law practice of her father on the paperwork for various cases (women are not yet allowed to appear in the courts – in the British and Indian systems, lawyers who present cases in court are known as barristers, while those who handle all other aspects of the law are called solicitors), and in her recent past, we learn about what happened in her life five years earlier, providing the background for her present circumstances.
One of the practice's clients is a wealthy, highly traditional Muslim family. The husband has died leaving three widows (don't be judgmental – remember that this is 1921) and several children. The widows live in purdah (religion-based seclusion) in a large villa in an exclusive neighborhood. Perveen becomes involved in the details of executing the will for the widows and the man who had been appointed to manage the business affairs of the family. On a visit to the household to conduct business, Perveen discovers that he has been been brutally murdered...
Not only does the novel solve this mystery, but it also introduces an intriguing heroine who explores the societal issues of the rapidly changing times in India, including colonialism and feminism, giving the reader a fascinating window into a complex, diverse and sophisticated culture, presented for maximum appeal with vivid descriptions of the locales, dress, food and more. It is a wonderful opportunity for a journey to an exotic destination in a just distant enough time frame.
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