The Night Diary Book Review by Veera Hiranandani
Hello everybody and welcome to this article. Today, I will be reviewing a book called ‘The Night Diary’ which was written by Veera Hiranandani. It was published in 2018 and has received some gushing reviews from various book outlets. It also has won various awards like Kirkus reviews best book of 2018 and a Newbery Honor book, to name a few.
This book takes us back 8 decades ago to 1947, a historic year for both South-Asian countries India and Pakistan. It is the year that the British rule died, and Pakistan was born. Nisha, the main character in this book, has always loved her mum although she never got to see her in real life, as sadly her mum died when giving birth to both Nisha and her twin brother Amil. Now, she lives in Mirpus Khan, a city in Pakistan with her Dad (grandmother), Papa (father) Kazi(servant) and Amil (brother). Everything seems well, even after Nisha’s mother died. Her father works as a doctor at the local hospital, and so the government gifted the family a prestigious house. Parties were a regular occasion, and it was like people visited their homes every day. However, something drastic happened. The number of parties was reduced and angry mobs were attacking their village. It is only later that Nisha, an intelligent and shy girl realizes that her home country is being separated in half. Nisha doesn’t want to leave however, and being the fact that her mother is muslim, she thinks she has a chance to stay. She also doesn’t want to leave Kazi, the Muslim waiter alone, who over the years has taught her how to cook. Through nail-biting moments, Veera brilliantly describes the precarious journey.
Personally, I find Nisha and Amil very relatable, as they are the opposite of the other in any way. This book also relates to me as my Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother did this treacherous journey but from India to Pakistan. I believe that this book very accurately describes the journey, through scorching hot desserts and icy-cold rain. Also, I love how the book is written as a diary entry, as it makes more sense, and makes you know long people traveled just because of a decision to split the country in half. There is also a lot of empathy to be learned in this book through various small characters. I will rate this book 4.5 stars out of five and would recommend this book to 10-12-year-olds. You can visit the author on veerahiranandani.com.
*There is some violence in this book*