Dancing With India : Finding Shanthi

Congratulations on the author's debut novel!

This story is told in journal/diary format and takes place in 2021. Her inspiration comes from Daniel Defoe's classic, A Journal of a Plague Year. He recorded the Bubonic Plague of 1665.

The idea of diary format is interesting and different. I wish I had kept a diary to look back at our time during Covid. I remember the big points, but with time some little things will be forgotten. Every state and country had their own way of handling Covid.

The story alternates between Covid (and current events) and Marney McDonagh's time in India a few years back. Because all entries are dated 2021 the story can get confusing on present day versus India, but it is easy to catch on.

As Marney watches the effects on Covid in India in present day, she reflects on her time there while staying at the Shanthi Ashram. She spends six months there making friends and finding herself and a purpose. She learns much about the culture there and upon leaving wants to help young girls in the area who are often put out by their families. The story evolves over the course of the entries and takes over.

Her journey while in India was inspiring and could have been the story without
being a journal and including current events. The people she encounters all played a role in how she was shaped and changed during her time there.

If you are looking for your own spiritual path check out this book.

Thank you Bernadette Kane and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read and review this book.