Book set in India – Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara

Submitted: 30th January 2020

Take a ride on Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line

Book set in India – Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara – Have you heard about the children who take the train in India in search of a better life? The children who go in search of food and rubbish to sell. Some who leave their homes in order to escape the poverty and violence. Sadly what they do is end up as street children. Some of them lose their lives on the streets. These children are often seen as no more important than dogs. They are not respected or even missed. This is a real issue which this novel brings out to the fore.

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Book set in India – Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara

A heartbreaking read but a realistic one. A story of the slums and child disappearances told through the eyes of a nine year old child. There’s a bit of a sense of adventure about it all too as Jai, the narrator has watched his favourite TV shows and wants to copy them. Childhood innocence makes this story read like YA at times but it also highlights the true horror of what is actually going on on Delhi’s streets.

Kids go missing all the time, we are told by one character . What is worse however, is that no one is mildly surprised or horrified. There’s a lot to think about here and I hope the novel will help raise the issues of missing Indian children and show up the extent of the scandal.

The group of friends in the book travel around the city and the stations on the purple line. They seem more bothered then the adults in the book. Adults tell them there’s djinns who take children and that this is something that people just accept now. It’s almost a morbid ‘ tradition’. Djinns are a type of spirit or animal from folklore and so the story takes on quite a mythical tone. The novel then explores the cultural and spiritual belief systems around these (mythical or not) creatures.

As well as the disappearances of the children, the author gives us an insight into the way life in the slums is really like. The author draws a sad picture of the day to day life there, how children cope, how they play etc and what they eat. The TV show they watch is of course the key which sparks off the whole story!

I found the main character very unique. You can tell he’s innocent of course at that age, but also street smart. You can tell he’s excited to solve crimes like his hero but doesn’t seem to be aware that he, too, could be a victim. Well you don’t think of crime like that at that age, do you?

A quirky read which will surely help to highlight the issues at the heart of it.