The Henna Artist has all the ingredients I look for in a great book: a strong (female) protagonist facing a seemingly insurmountable task who manages to survive admirably. To be honest, I knew very little about the culture/caste system in India. One will learn a lot about about this by reading this book.

I was immediately engaged by the characters. I wanted to know more about their lives and situations right from the beginning. I have often puzzled over arranged marriages. I have never been able to imagine myself in a culture where your future spouse is arranged by your parents. As former high school teacher when my classes were reading Romeo and Juliet, I used to ask my students if they could imagine the spouse their parents would select for them. Every time I asked the question was met with groans and generalized expressions of nausea. In all cases, my students thought their parents would choose the least eligible candidate as far as their personal happiness was concerned.

I finished reading The Henna Artist within two days of receiving it, but I hesitated writing the review to be sure I gave it the justice it deserved. Simply speaking, I loved it and was very sorry to see it end. I am looking forward to participating in the discussion because I am interested in other people's viewpoint on some of the plot turns. I will not mention those here however because they definitely would be "spoilers" for those who have not yet read the book.

My single criticism revolves around the inclusion of many Hindi words and phrases. Many (though not all) are included in an index in the back of the book. I found it very frustrating to constantly look up meanings. It severely disrupted the continuity of the novel. About half way through the book, I gave this up and tried to figure out from context. I think this would be a better book if this was remedied in an edit. However, I loved learning about India and its culture, and all the henna art stuff. It was a totally enjoyable new immersion.

When I originally read the description of this book, I was intrigued by the subject. Reunions of high school friends are usually fraught with "Great Expectations" but rarely live up to those hopes. I expect all readers will remember explicitly where they were when the towers fell and would probably agree that it changed all of us in so many ways. Each of the characters deeply felt the impact of the event and each responded in very different ways.

The first character to be described in great detail is that of Bill Ashcraft and I disliked him so much that I almost discontinued the book. An egotistical alcoholic and drug addict whose constant political rants were annoying to me. I think some of my issues were generational ones...I am out of touch with people who readily choose to abuse drugs, themselves and who view the world with a perpetually jaundiced eye. I could neither care about nor sympathize with this bright young man who seemed to accomplish very little in his life considering his intellectual gifts.

The next character was much more sympathetic in her attitude but I couldn't help but wonder at the strange (to me) choice of her topic for her graduate work. Stacey Moore's description of her discovery of her sexuality was truly poignant.

Dan Eaton may have been my favorite character in the book. A self described total nerd in high school but protected and valued by several females in his class. He spent his whole life loving the first female who paid him any attention. His sense of duty to friendships and relationships made him endearing.

The last character we meet in the book is really a tragic one. Tina Ross broke my heart in so many ways. Sweet and naive girls are so often used in high school and she was a heartbreaking classic.

Simply said if you can get past Bill Ashcraft's giant obnoxious ego, the rest of the book is a noteworthy, engaging saga with fluid writing, realistic dialogue and believable situations that high school students find themselves in. The elements of mystery are sprinkled through out the book and the final resolution is shocking and somehow satisfying at the same time. You will not forget this book.