The story takes place in Sri Lanka,encompassing the years before and during the country's civil war that began in the 1980s.It is the story of Latha,a young servant girl, and Biso, a mother fleeing an abusive husband with her three children.
The story is told in two voices; Biso's, using the present tense, and Latha's in the past tense.

Many of us found the time span! s of each chapter a bit disconcerting, and it was sometimes difficult to follow events and when they occurred. However, everyone seeemd to agree that the book did a good job with the themes of class prejudice, treatment of women, and love in all its forms.
The overriding concept of the book concerned the forthrightness of women in searching for a better life, and the conviction that they were meant for better things.

While not everyone found the characters sympathetic, most agreed that it was eminently readable, and a thoroughly good story.

It took awhile to get into the book but about 2/3 of the way into it the story moved quickly. There are some scenes not to be missed. It was interesting to read about women who live in a cast system

Great character development. The book could have been shorter. At times it was slow going. Overall it is a great story, but very sad.

This debut novel was beautifully written. Although tragic at times, through her powerful writing, Freeman has given her readers great insight into the culture of her home country and the struggles women endure in this opressive environment.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters make decisions that may differ from our own and impact their lives in ways that are surprising. This would make an excellent book club choice. I have finished reading it myself and wish that my book club was reading it so that I could discuss it with someone. There would definitely be alot to talk about after reading this one!