These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
When a classmate goes missing in his impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of an unnamed city in India, nine-year-old Jai does what the police refuse to, even when bribed: he goes “detectiving” to find the boy. Journalist Deepa Anappara’s debut novel could have been depressingly grim as more children begin to disappear, a troubling complication based on actual incidents. But Jai’s positivity and can-do attitude, despite the challenges he sees in his neighborhood, proves an inspiration. Though his faith can only survive so much.
Buy Now: Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line on Bookshop | Amazon
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
