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Milly is a Jewish woman, a Bene Israeli, living in pre-independence
Lahore, now part of modern day Pakistan. Mother, wife, and daughter-in-
law living a 'normal ' life under the shadow of the Swaraj
movement. The British Raj is on the cusp of its eclipse but no one
knows when and if the sun will ever set on the empire, and neither does
Milly, nor how the freedom struggle would ensnare the unwary. Milly,
the protagonist of Sophie Judah 's third book The Turban Jewel, could
not have fathomed, even in her wildest dreams, what life had in store
for her and her family. Does Milly rise to the challenges life presents?
Do her children persevere? Does her husband 's humanity prevail? The
author leaves us hanging by her every word as she weaves a story of
suspense and human drama, allowing us to exhale only through the last
pages of this riveting story without wasting words to narrate a
remarkable tale of perseverance, faith, love, friendship and humanity.
The story moves from Lahore to Jwalanagar, an imaginary town in
Central India (probably Jabalpur, because her own family, while she
was growing up as an army brat, seemed to circle back to it) chugging
along like a smoke belching locomotive, building speed as it hurtles
headlong into the uncertain terrain of Milly's life.
Sophie Judah's first book, a collection of short stories, Dropped from
Heaven spans from pre to post-independence India, partition of India
and Pakistan, Hindu Muslim conflict, the Bene Israel and the land of
their forefathers - Eretz Israel. The stories narrate the brutality and
generosity of humans with equal sensitivity. Many of those same
characters are subtly inlaid in Milly's world in The Turban Jewel and
stumbling upon them feels like deja vu as we try to tease apart their
identities, much like Jack London 's Alaskan characters in every story
he writes about them. Although The Turban Jewel is a story about a
woman, it is not a feminist novel. It is a story of survival - of one
woman, her fami ly and her community. It also delves into the customs,
traditions and lifestyle of the little known Jewish community in India
describing life as it is; narrating the good and the evil with equal deft
and objectivity. We watch community events, friendships and other
relationships develop or deteriorate. We watch Milly pay the price for
every decision she makes. We watch the victim become the
perpetrator. We see what gui lt, revenge and neglect can do to ordinary
people. The same circumstances have a different effect on each of
Milly's children. A good read.
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