This was a fascinating read mainly because of what it taught me about the lives of Indian indentured workers during British rule. The story was an interesting and captivating one with characters that are fully fleshed out and have histories and personalities of their own.

I picked up this book while in Fiji in an attempt to learn more about the history and people of the country. This book definitely did that and it was nice to read about the research that the author had done in preparation. The way that the lives of the workers is portrayed is heartbreaking but necessarily so in my opinion. Even characters which show up just for a small amount of time, who are workers, are well considered and between the different workers, we get to see a range of responses that people may have had in those awful conditions. At the same time, there are a range of European characters who show us differing views on the situation and, again, make the book complex and showing a range of potential responses from people. 

The main character feels almost viscerally real as we get to learn about his history and personality throughout the book, and the relationships that he has with his friends and family bring his character together. We also get to see a nuanced side of him in his response to the workers' situation, sometimes feeling like he is above them but coming to understand the kinship he has with them and despising the situation they are made to live in. I liked that he wasn't a perfect character as it gave the book more depth and made him more interesting to read about throughout.

The mystery in the book is complex and has twists and turns, as you would want from this sort of book but it doesn't overwhelm the story as sufficient time is given to the characters and the setting, which are the stars of the show. I quote liked this because I prefer character based books over pure mysteries.

It was pretty obvious that this was the author's first book in some respects as there were parts of writing that seemed underdeveloped, perfunctory or clichéd. I don't think this is necessarily a criticism as every writer must learn to be consistent in their style (and this writer has a really interesting style which I enjoyed) so I hope her future books are more consistent in that sense. The sometimes simplistic style did make this an easier read and I was able to finish it in about 2 days!

This is a great book for anyone who likes books that involve aspects of social justice and also learning about the history of Fiji. I'd recommend it because it ended up being an easy read that anyone could enjoy.