Review: The Village

The Village by Nikita Lalwani

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The Village by Nikita Lalwani is a story that takes place in the heart of an open prison in India. A BBC film crew of three (Ray, Serena and Nathan) are looking to find a good story to tell for a television program back home. While Ray believes that the people living in this type of prison situation is enough, her colleagues are looking to find something more dramatic, and when they do, they end up turning lives upside down.

The most interesting part of this book is the definition of self with Ray. While her colleagues see her as an Indian who grew up in the UK, the local Indian population sees her as an outsider. It is this position that provides Ray with her internal struggle, making her reflect on who she really is. It is also in the midst of this struggle that Ray takes many wrong turns, alienating her colleagues, the local prison population and even a prison guard who gets the wrong idea.

Overall, this book is an interesting look at how observing daily life in another culture can end up affecting that culture, in both good and bad ways.

*Reviewer received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads



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