The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

I have a slow roll on this, but I am reading all the Reese Witherspoon book club picks and have overall found them to be good and a bit lighter than books that are longlisted for the Booker Prize. This is not my favorite of these--I found the writing to be just okay. This story is about Lakshmi, and takes place in 1955, the early years of Indian independence. Fifteen years before, she was married to a man by force who abused her and depended on her to support him. One day, she had the courage to flee her home and her village. Even though it means she had to leave her saas (mother-in-law) behind. She was close to her saas and she learned a lot of herbal medicine remedies. It turns out she has quite a talent for it, and after a rough journey Lakshmi ends up in Jaipur where she settles and establishes a life for herself as henna artist with an herbal medicine practice on the side. Lakshmi has worked hard, starting with nothing and slowly making a name for herself as a henna artist. Her business is taking off, new plans are about to come to fruition, and everything she’s ever wanted is within reach. Then the abusive husband she fled turns up on her doorstep with a sister she never knew about. With her parents dead and an outcast in her village, Radha has no one else to turn to except her sister. Introducing Radha, a 13 year old girl who has only ever known village life to wealthy castes of Jaipur society proves to be increasingly more challenging and Lakshmi can feel her dreams slipping through her fingers. She does manage to find her way, not without help and not without difficulty. The book is strongest when it is describing the sights and sounds of post-colonial India.