"Venkatraman has never met a heavy theme she did not like....Borrowing
elements of fable, it's told with a recurring sense of awe by a boy whom
the world, for most of his life, has existed only in stories."--New
York Times Book Review
The author of the award-winning The Bridge Home brings readers another
gripping novel set in Chennai, India, featuring a boy who's unexpectedly
released into the world after spending his whole life in jail with his
mom.
Kabir has been in jail since the day he was born, because his mom is
serving time for a crime she didn't commit. He's never met his dad, so
the only family he's got are their cellmates, and the only place he
feels the least bit free is in the classroom, where his kind teacher
regales him with stories of the wonders of the outside world. Then one
day a new warden arrives and announces Kabir is too old to stay. He gets
handed over to a long-lost "uncle" who unfortunately turns out to be a
fraud, and intends to sell Kabir. So Kabir does the only thing he
can--run away as fast as his legs will take him. How does a boy with
nowhere to go and no connections make his way? Fortunately, he befriends
Rani, another street kid, and she takes him under her wing. But plotting
their next move is hard--and fraught with danger--in a world that cares
little for homeless, low caste children. This is not the world Kabir
dreamed of--but he's discovered he's not the type to give up. Kabir is
ready to show the world that he--and his mother--deserve a place in it.
