Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line

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But when one of his classmates goes missing, Jai – taking inspiration from the television programmes he devours – turns amateur detective and vows to uncover the mystery of the disappearance. Instead, she is blamed for her own disappearance and labeled randi (whore), based on nothing but gossip and ill-informed rumors. He can also see his mother shaping rotis in the kitchen corner, because their house has only one room.

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line: LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S

But the work isn’t for the faint of heart–Jai’s mother lives in fear of losing her job for even minor indiscretions, like being late to work one day.When a classmate goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from TV to find him.

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line — Deepa Anappara Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line — Deepa Anappara

He knows all about the dangers and cruelties of his world, but talks about them with the glib disapproval of a loved child who assumes that adults will protect him from real harm. It's fascinating for a while, but there comes a point where you just wish to proceed with blinkers on. Writing from Jai’s perspective, Anappara turns statistics churned out by the media into a voice, so that, as she says in her afterword, ‘we are reminded of the faces behind the numbers’. Deepa Anappara’s debut novel begins with nine-year-old Jai competing with his older sister in a headstand competition on the bed. By story’s end, Jai has grown more hesitant, humbled by tragedy and evils beyond his once-childish imaginings.Children have borne the brunt of religious intolerance for decades, carrying those scars well into their adulthood, just like the children in Djinn Patrol.