Cathy Ostlere is the author of Lost: A Memoir, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. She lives in Calgary. Karma is her first novel for young adults. |
KARMA
On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi is gunned down by two Sikh bodyguards. The murder sparks riots in New Delhi and for three days Sikh men are targeted and killed in retribution for the prime minister’s death. It is into this chaos that fifteenyear- old Maya and her Sikh father, Amar, arrive from their home in Canada. India’s political instability is the backdrop and catalyst for Maya’s awakening to the world. Karma is the story of how she straddles two cultures, endures personal loss, and ultimately learns forgiveness, acceptance, and love.
Click here to view the Karma Lesson Plan.
A brand-new diary
How to begin.
Click.
How. To. Begin.
Click. Click. Click.
I like the sound of a ballpoint pen.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.
I'll start with the date:
October 28, 1984.
Now the place:
Floating in air over ice.
Thirty-seven thousand feet, the pilot said.
But where exactly?
What latitude and longitude?
Is it Canada or Greenland
that fell away like a great sinking heart?
Is that a rising sun or a setting one?
The golden rays cut loose from India's plains.
Where am I really?
Nowhere, I guess.
Somewhere between an old life and a new.
Salutation
Every diary needs one.A word of greeting to begin it all
the gentle endearment... Read More
“A riveting, historically accurate coming-of age tale of gutsy survival, self-sacrifice, and love... With artful compassion, Ostlere reveals the infinitely complex clash of cultures within both India and Maya’s family... A fascinating, epic page-turner.”
—Booklist, starred
“Ostlere does a terrific job of transporting the reader to India, recreating this turbulent time in its history, and adding to the mystic of this country by writing the story in verse. It is made all the better because of the tender romance that entwines the story.”
— VOYA Magazine
“In contrast to the hatred, mistrust, and violence, the friendship—and then love—between Maya and Sandeep offers hope, rebirth, and renewal.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred
