KARMA — a novel-in-verse
On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi is gunned down by two Sikh bodyguards. The murder sparks riots in Delhi and for three days Sikh families are targeted and killed in retribution for the Prime Minister’s death. It is into this chaos that fifteen-year-old Maya and her Sikh father, Amar, arrive from their home in Canada. India’s political instability is the backdrop and catalyst for Maya’s awakening to the world. KARMA is the story of how a young woman, straddling two cultures and enduring personal loss, learns forgiveness, acceptance and love.
Published by PENGUIN
Fall 2013!
Photos from India
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More about KARMA:
What I learned from writing Karma
The real history of the 1984 riots in Delhi
My travels through India in 1984
Why the story of Karma is told in verse
How the character of Maya originated
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“If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” - Toni Morrison
KARMA in paperback
Librarians’ Choices
“It is difficult to create consistent page-turns and maintain interest for 500+ pages, yet Ostlere does just this as the reader is transported into Maya and Sandeep’s world.”
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Chilliwack Middle School
“Ms. Cosens stayed up until 2:30 in the morning on a school night, trying to finish this book! She describes it as ‘absolutely beautiful.’”
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Zara Alexis — The Bibliotaphe’s Closet
“Young readers, add this book to your collection. The cover design is as pretty as its language and as romantic as its sonatas and diary-form poems.”
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Booklist
“…A fascinating, epic page-turner.”
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VOYA Magazine
“…Ostlere does a terrific job of transporting the reader to India, recreating this turbulent time in its history, and adding to the mystic of this country…”
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