In a well-told, heart-wrenching tale, Laidlaw guides us through the journey Noor and Grace experience as part of two completely different worlds in India. While Grace enjoys a life of privilege, Noor and her siblings are the children of a sex worker, born in a brothel.
Character Development
The characters, especially Noor and Parvati, were well developed. We see India through their eyes, see the dangers that for them are commonplace. With Noor and Grace developing a friendship of sorts, we see the contrast between their lives and what they are accustomed to.
One is a life desperate to change her fate, the other has her “perfect” life (or the illusion of such) shattered by a vicious online attack… but the story doesn’t necessarily follow the typical story arc.
Recommendation
I loved how Laidlaw ended Fifteen Lanes and recommend this book to those with an interest in Mumbai’s red light district – where Noor grew up – and who are curious about how those in other parts of the world might live. Fifteen Lanes shows us that even those with “perfect” lives have problems, and that there is hope. Not all stories have a happy ending, but I am glad this one did.
*Note* Although I did not originally post a trigger warning, it would probably be beneficial on a book such as this. Aside from the obvious, this book also deals with self harm and suicidal ideation. Laidlaw deals with heavy topics in Fifteen Lanes, and the reader should tread carefully.
If you are looking for a read that, in a similar vein, doesn’t gloss over the dark side of things, consider The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. Anderson drags us through the story as if it were happening to us – real-life type situations with minced families that definitely do not belong in a fairy-tale.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from LibraryThing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
[…] for your next intriguing read? Fifteen Lanes by S. J. Laidlaw follows Noor and Grace through completely opposite parts of India. While one lived a life of […]