Wow....what a great book by an author I discovered a couple of years ago.
This is his first novel...I've read his other two.
The topic is human trafficking. It is fiction based on research he has done here in the United States as well as in India where much of the story takes place.
It's eye opening for sure.
STORY SUMMARY
Ahayla Ghai is 17 years old and lives with her parents in a coastal town on the continent of India. Her younger sister Sita is just 15 years old. They have lived a life of privilege for the most part. They both have a good grasp of the English language, learning it at school.
One day, just after Christmas, a tsunami rages through their town and sweeps away many people. Two of those people are Ahayla and Sita's parents, along with Jaya their housekeeper.
They are left homeless and orphaned.
They begin to make their way to the convent where they attend private school. It will be a safe place for them.
However, they are abducted by human traffickers and pushed into an unknown and hidden world of sexual violence and illegal commerce. The most valuable prize?? The innocence of a child. They see girls, including themselves, get sold for large sums of money.
Ahayla is violated...yet....surprisingly, Sita is not.
Meanwhile, halfway across the world in the United States of America, a Washington, D.C. attorney, Thomas Clarke, is dealing with his own personal crisis. He also has a professional crisis going on at the huge law firm where he makes lots of money but is unfulfilled. He is estranged from his wife, Priya, and they both are grieving the death of their infant daughter Mohini.
One day, Thomas makes the decision to leave the firm and go to India to work with the organization known as CASE, a non-profit group that rescues girls and women (and sometimes boys!) from human traffickers.
While in Mumbai (Bombay), his mind is awakened to the horrors of the sex slave trade....and the powerful, yet corrupt, justice system that fosters it.
When he learns about Ahayla and Sita and their fate, he makes it his mission to rescue them. Now the stage is set for the showdown of international networks of criminals. He travels to Paris, France, back to the USA, and back to India.
Will he rescue the girls before they go even further underground?
MY THOUGHTS
This topic is very dear to my heart and my husband and I actually help to financially support a non-profit group similar to CASE (called LOVE 146...click here for more information on this Christian-based rescue organization).
The characters are all believable and the setting is rich and diverse as it spans across 3 different continents.
Yes, modern slavery is an epidemic not just in third world countries or Europe, but in Canada and the USA as well.
This story will open your eyes to the plight of children and women everywhere.
This book touches on grief, despair, hopelessness, hopefulness, thoughts of suicide, murder, modern-day slavery, kidnapping by human traffickers, death....and life.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to mature topic although no graphic s*xual scenes are described).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.
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