Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Patel imagines an alternate history for India, one in which the country didn't gain independence from the British but is still under British rule in the 1960s. Here is where we meet the main character, Kalki. She lives with her mother; her father, a revolutionary, has fled. Much like her father, Kalki also wants independence for India, and over the years (and the course of this novel), she learns to fight for her country, sometimes at great cost and sacrifice.
When I first started reading this novel, I found it interesting that the author would choose to write about this "what-if" scenario. Why imagine a world where India didn't gain independence? The book's Afterword explains this a little more. Thanks to the research the author did (the book took her 7 years to write), she learned that the British Empire had "'improved' tactics to fight anti-colonial movements in their other colonies around the globe, from cutting off entire cities to punitive camps to long-term curfews." So this book imagines the British using those tactics on the people of India.
There is a suggested reading list at the back of the book for anyone interested in learning more about the actual history of India.
If you enjoy historical fiction and stories with strong female characters, then you'll enjoy reading about Kalki and her friends fighting for their country.
Ten Incarnations of Rebellion is published by Ballantine Books. I received a free e-ARC in exchange for this review.
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