Maya is a girl who believed that the bad were always bad and had no cure. In a time where the nation of India is in a huge religious quarrel, fifteen-year-old Maya is trapped in the conflict and has to overcome the hatred the people have for one another. Her journey all started when her parents, Amar and Leela, got married even though they practice different religions-Amar is Sikh and Leela is Hindu. Leela’s parents banished her, so then she and Amar moved to Canada and had their daughter Maya. However, Leela felt depressed in Canada and wanted to go back to India, but Amar didn’t listen, as a result she committed suicide. And so, Maya and her dad went to India to spread Leela’s ashes. When they got there, Maya noticed that something was off; she noticed that people would make decisions solely on their religion. The Prime Minister of India was assassinated by two Sikhs, causing a cultural war with thousands of innocent Sikhs being murdered. Some people will do anything to fight for what they think is right, even when it means murdering people. Maya is separated from her father and Maya is now on her own, but she meets a boy named Sandeep who is her savior.
This book is written in Maya and Sandeep’s perspective; the story is their own words written in diary entries, which adds to the story. We, as the readers, get to read into the minds of Maya and Sandeep-to better understand how they are feeling and to know how they deal with their internal conflicts. The devastating and catastrophic events awaken Maya to the world she lives in; she learns to love and to forgive during her journey.
Over all, I found the story to be interesting. Karma deals with a painful time in history and how this girl overcomes the tragedy in her point of view. I love how the book is in diary form. It makes me better understand the emotions that Karma’s two main characters have. I like the history behind the story-with the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the religious war. But, there was some parts in the story where I found it to be weird and I didn’t enjoy it. For example the part where Maya and Sandeep fell in love during the journey, it kind of made me scratch my head a little. Karma would not be my first choice to reread, but it doesn’t mean that it won’t be amazing to other readers. This book is definitely recommended to people who love historical fiction books (for the history of the assassination and the religious battle), to people who enjoy romance (Maya and Sandeep falling in love), and those who admire bildungsromans (Maya’s changes during her story). Maya teaches us to choose to do the right thing while most others are choosing wrong.