Jai and his friends Pari and Faiz live in a crowded basti or neighborhood. His family consists of his sister, mother and father. His father works construction and his mother works in a high rise for a rich woman, spending her days cleaning and cooking for others in a location Jai can only imagine. What he knows are the crowded streets, the market redolent of spices and butchers and dirt. Jai's sister is the track champion of their school but Jai isn't interested in school He lives for his television shows, especially the police ones and imagines that he is a crime fighter as well.

Then a classmate goes missing. Jai is sure he can find him with his friends' help. They go around asking questions. Faiz is sure that a djinn has taken the boy. The boy's family go to the police but they are only interested in cases where they can get a bribe and brush the family off, saying the boy obviously ran away. Then a second boy goes missing, then a teenage girl. The basti, mainly Hindu, insists this must be the work of Muslims. When Muslim children are also taken, the mystery deepens. Can Jai and his friends find the truth?

This is a debut novel from an Indian author with a journalist background. It explores the disparity of how crimes are investigated depending on the victim's background. I thought about the Atlanta child murders while reading this book, how the police were slow to realize a serial killer was working the streets of Atlanta just as the police in this case were slow to investigate missing children from a basti. Anappara uses the naivete of a child to explore how justice is often uneven depending on social class and how crime is the same in its effect no matter who it targets. This book won the Edgar Award the year it was released and was a Woman's Fiction longlist choice. This book is recommended for those readers interested in other cultures, mystery and literary fiction.

This book tells the story of children who go missing from India's slums. It shares from a child's perspective - who is trying to solve the mystery of where they have gone. Although I did not particularly enjoy this book, I do appreciate the important real life issue that the author was trying to address. I read this book as host of The Gloss Book Club.

From the beginning to the end, this book just didn’t hold my attention. I had a difficult time following everything that was going on. There were a lot of characters and a lot happening and I didn’t feel like it all tied together in the end. I also felt unfulfilled by the ending.

If I hadn’t been reading this for a book club discussion that I was moderating, this would have been DNF for me. I can see from the reviews that many have enjoyed this book…I wanted to but couldn’t get into it.

Sad and tragic story, which in my opinion did not live up to its full potential. The plot got repetitive and predictable.

I've read something spectacular after a very long time.

Thanks to the author for writing such an absorbing story (the place and people feel real), and to the publisher for the ARC.

All the best to the author.

This book was hard to read for a few reasons. It dealt with hard subject matter, which is something I do sometimes like, but it felt like it all went downhill without a lot of redeeming moments. It also seemed from the synopsis like it was going to be some great mystery, but the actual story didn't come off that way for me. I enjoyed moments of it with the kid narrator, but it was also a bit flat for me.

I found this book a hard read. It appreciate and recognize the important of this story being told but I found it difficult to get through and struggled to connect with the characters.

With gorgeous sensory details and descriptions that will make you feel like you're sitting in the middle of a scene, rather than at home in your favorite reading chair - Deepa Anappara crafts a harrowing tale of the stark reality India's children face through the story of young Jai. From the incredible wealth gap, to corruption, to misogyny, and the horrifically true statistics of 180 children going missing in India *every day*, this book has plenty of merits.

Though the story was extremely well crafted and deeply emotional, I felt that the pacing was a little slow for my tastes.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Deepa Anappara for advanced access to this book.

In India, children keep disappearing; but as is so often true, a missing child from a poor family doesn’t excite a great deal of interest on the part of authorities. But never fear; Jai has been watching Police Patrol, so although he’s just nine years old, he can take care of this business. He’s already got a key advantage over the government and its police force: Jai actually cares.

I read this novel free and early, though my review is disgracefully late. My thanks go to Net Galley and Random House. This book is for sale now.

Anaparra immerses us in the culture of urban India and incorporates two aspects of social justice that cry out to be recognized. By using the voices of children, she tells the story naturally and without preaching. Hundreds of children disappear daily in India. Daily. That’s a lot of milk cartons. Most of these children are never found. So when Jai’s classmate goes missing, there’s consternation, because everyone knows how unlikely it is that he’ll be brought home. There’s discussion among the adults. The boy’s mother wants to hound the authorities, not let up until they find her son; but the neighbors don’t want her to do it, because everyone knows that when you irritate the police, bulldozers will appear and demolish everyone’s house. So if their neighborhood is razed without warning, they figure it will be her fault.

Oh.

So kids, we’re not in Kansas anymore. It’s a sobering wakeup call, looking at life from the viewpoint of the lower castes of India.

Jai is just nine, though, and when you’re nine, all things are possible. He is sure he can find his friend, if he can just afford the train fare to get further into the city, where his pal was last seen. His family never has much money, but his mother keeps what spare change she has in a kitchen pot, and as it adds up, it is reserved for emergencies—such as bulldozers. She knows that they could lose everything in a heartbeat, and she does what little she can to mitigate such a disaster. And bless his heart, little Jai sneaks into the kitchen and steals his mother’s bug-out fund so that he can take the Purple Line into town to play detective. He figures he can pay her back when he collects the reward money.

This story is a meal. There are a lot of unfamiliar terms, and they aren’t explained to us. We have to figure them out through context. This keeps the plot from bogging down, and that’s good, because it’s not moving terribly fast to begin with. But for those that like a nice whodunit to read as they drowse off to sleep in the evening, this isn’t that book. This is literature. Don’t try to absorb it after you’ve had a few beers or taken your sleeping pill. You need your full brain.

The other social justice topic, secondary to the missing children yet also important, is that of how India treats its girls and women, and once again, those in the lower castes are slammed by poverty and class bias as well as sexism. Jai’s sister Didi is gifted academically and athletically. She holds far more promise than her squirrely little brother, who is just your average kid, but her needs are always subordinate to his. Didi wants to run track and go to university, but her parents want her home, watching over Jai while they’re at work. They’re afraid (and not needlessly) that he’ll get into trouble. They are so concerned about what might happen to their darling boy that they don’t think twice about Didi. She’s sick of being leered at by the horny old men that sell vegetables, and she’s sick of the contemptuous gazes of shop women. And now, she, the star of the track team, must miss a critical meet so she can babysit:

“It was as if she existed solely to care for her brother, and the house. Afterward, she would similarly look after her husband, her hands smelling of cow-dung cakes. Her own dreams were inconsequential. It seemed to her that no one could see the ambition that thrummed in her; no one imagined her becoming someone.”

I used a combination of the digital galley on my Kindle and the audio book I checked out from Seattle Bibliocommons to get through this book. Sometimes I used them simultaneously. The voice actors have Indian accents that add authenticity; at the same time, I sometimes missed that we had shifted from a male character’s inner narrative to that of a female, and I became confused and had to go back. Again, this story is not for wusses. And yet, it’s worth it. It's a remarkable debut, and if you’ve read this whole review, you’re the type of person that can get through this book, and I recommend it to you. You won’t find anything else like it.

Deepa Anappara's debut novel Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is a captivating book. With a fresh narrative perspective, the writer tells a fictional story, based on real-life events, of child snatchings in India. Three children themselves take on the mission to solve the case of these kidnappings.

The content of this book is challenging, but Anappara deals with it deftly, on the whole. I'll look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Well written story. Kept me engaged the entire time. A page turner for sure! Looking forward to reading more books by this author!

In Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, the narrator is nine year-old Jai who has decided to be like the detectives on his favorite TV show, Police Patrol , and try to help to find a classmate that has gone missing. But when other children start disappearing from his neighborhood, Jai becomes in danger himself. Drawing on real incidents and a large number of disappearances in modern day metropolitan India, this book is a debut novel by Deepa Anappara.

This book is usually the kind of book that I adore. Young narrator, foreign land, opportunity to learn and explore new cultures...and while the author does a great job at descriptors and helping you understand the environment in which the book is set, the actual dialogue and plot could have been shared in a more concise telling. Further, the title has very little to do with the book. Very little. I would love to read more works by this author but this particular style of story telling could have been a bit tighter and improved.

As a debut novel, this book has several high points. First, as many have pointed out, there's the clever use of a child narrator. Anappara nails the tone and style though she stumbles now and then with getting the point of view to remain credibly that of a child. Second, there's the eye for nuanced detail that likely comes from the writer's journalistic works in Mumbai's slums. And, finally, there's the satisfying plotline that remains tautly-structured even as it twists and turns to keep a good pace going.

That said, there are some challenges with presenting a well-worn view of Indian poverty to a Western audience and it's evident that the author has pandered somewhat in this aspect. While she eschews explaining or highlighting non-English words/terms/phrases, she is unable to avoid over-simplifying certain complexities of Indian society and culture. This may well have been advice from well-meaning editors or the writer's own choice. Whatever the case, for a reader who is very familiar with India. this is likely to grate after a while.

All that said, for a debut novel, this is above par and promises of greater things to come.

When a classmate goes missing, Jai along with his friends Paris and Faiz decide to do some detective work to find him. What they find is much more than they ever bargained for!
Anappara gives a Richly detailed story of friendship in uncertain times. The characters are realistic, the setting so well detailed I felt I was there in India too, and the plot a multidimensional tapestry that takes some time to become clear. I enjoyed this one immensely!

A brilliantly written book! Deepa Anappara, truly imersed me into the story. Thank you for an advanced copy,

I was given a copy of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was definitely hard to read at times. I was surprised at my lack of knowledge about how terrible the income inequality and corruption run in India. Following Jai and his friends was a great way to introduce the reader to this world. It was so dark at times I kept forgetting that I was reading something current. It kept reminding me of the slums in 19th century London. That is definitely my privilege showing. I did love the kids. They somehow reminded me of Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione. All on their own search for justice. When I originally asked for the arc originally it was because the summary reminded me of It by Stephen King. Children banding together to stop other children from going missing( maybe even a supernatural force doing it ie Djinns causing it)...while all along the prevalence of hatred, fear and violence run deep in both books. I felt like Djinn Patrol was just as effective. The book also challenged me to read in a completely unique style and learn so much about Indian culture. I’m glad I read this book.

An interesting tale of the number of children that go missing in India and the people who live around them. I found the writing to be terrific and did a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the markets in an Indian community. There is a large discrepancy between those that have money and those that do not. The writer did a good job in giving a description of the community and sense of how they react, or not, to the epidemic of missing children. Well done book, recommended.
#NetGalley #DjinnPatrolonthePurpleLine #RandomHouse

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is an eye opening story about daily living in the slums of India from the view of the protagonist, nine year old, Jai. The first 40% percent of the book was slow going for me. Although, well written, with a strong sense of place, there are many Indian words to navigate and the overall tone is one of danger and unhappiness. (Wish that I would have checked for a glossary at the beginning, as the e-version dictionary didn’t know most of the words I looked up.) It was heartbreaking to learn that about 180 children go missing in India everyday, with little help from police or government unless you are wealthy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing with this ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

A simply amazing read and one of my best for 2020! Based on a true story in India, as Indian children start to go missing from his neighborhood, Jai and his friends become detectives to practice the crime-solving skills they have seen on television. But when Jai's sister becomes one of the missing, the stakes become higher and the danger rises. Very well written and readable book, recommended highly.

The title of this book is misleading, as it implies a mysticism that isn't central to the story. This is a story about poverty, about the hopes and optimism of children despite their circumstances, and about the ways we overlook injustices suffered by the poor (in this case the presence of a serial killer snatching children from an Indian basti). I love that the author wrote from the children's perspective, and I appreciated the setting---I learned a lot about a place I'm unlikely to ever visit. Readers who want a neatly-wrapped happy ending will be disappointed, though Anappara's ending is more realistic. Readable, with many light moments despite the grim situations.